Current Advances of Emerging Contaminants in Food: Detection, Risk Assessment, and Control Strategies
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editor
Interests: thermal processing derived food contaminants: their formation and toxicity mitigation strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food safety remains a global public health priority, with emerging contaminants (ECs) escalating threats via environmental pollution, agricultural practices, food processing, and climate change-driven disruptions. These contaminants, which include microplastics, antibiotic residues, processing/storage-derived contaminants, contaminants associated with emerging food business formats and novel pesticides, induce acute (e.g., organ failure, gastrointestinal distress) and chronic (e.g., cancer, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, developmental abnormalities) health impacts, while undermining food quality, consumer trust and global trade through stringent import restrictions and economic losses. The invisible nature of many ECs, often present in trace amounts yet potent in their effects, complicates detection and risk management, making them a silent but growing concern for public health systems worldwide.
This Special Issue aims to compile cutting-edge research on ECs in food, focusing on three core themes: (1) advanced detection technologies; (2) robust risk assessment models accounting for complex exposure routes and contaminant interactions (synergistic or antagonistic effects); (3) innovative control strategies. We welcome original research, reviews, and short communications to advance scientific understanding and practical solutions for mitigating EC risks, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between toxicologists, environmental scientists, engineers, and policymakers.
Prof. Dr. Chang Li
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- microplastics and nano-plastics
- antibiotic residues
- endocrine disrupters
- heat-generated AGEs/PAHs
- additive-decomposed allergens
- plant toxins (alkaloids, anthraquinones, etc.)
- insect protein-derived allergens
- cell-cultured meat viral residues
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