Recent Advancements in Food Processing Technologies for Enhancing Food Quality

Dear Colleagues,

With global consumers demanding higher standards for health, nutrition, safety, taste, and sustainability in food, advanced food processing technologies are gaining prominence for their ability to enhance functional properties, modify microstructure, and improve overall product quality.

The current research frontier has shifted from solely pursuing production efficiency to the precise and intelligent regulation of product quality. This requires a deep understanding of the multidimensional changes (rheological, reaction kinetics, and morphological) of raw material components (proteins, starch, dietary fiber, etc.) during food processing, including ultrasound, 3D printing, pelleting, super-grinding, drying, and extrusion. By leveraging innovative food structure modification techniques (including chemical and enzymatic modification, gelation, and fiberization), novel ingredient applications (e.g., insect protein, single-cell protein, and novel starches), and intelligent control technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and online monitoring), the on-demand design of key attributes in the final product—such as texture, nutrient retention, digestibility, flavor, and morphology—can be realized.

This Special Issue aims to gather the latest research from scientists worldwide to explore fundamental theoretical innovations and cutting-edge applications in food processing technology, with a focused discussion on quality regulation strategies to advance the scientific development and industrial upgrading of this field.

Dr. Qi Zhang
Dr. Min Wu
Guest Editors

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