Functional Food and Safety Evaluation: Second Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 4961

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Rm 312, 20A Tsing Yi Road, Tsing Yi Island, N.T., Hong Kong, China
Interests: functional food; food safety; toxicology; nutraceutical; Chinese medicine; metabolomics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural ingredients from foods have been found to be effective in terms of promoting health and preventing diseases, which is why different cultures commonly use natural ingredients to maintain physical well-being and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The popularity of using functional foods to promote health is increasing, and the global functional food market has expanded in recent decades. Further in-depth research on the mechanistic pathways and safety evaluation of functional foods could encourage functional food producers to develop high-quality products for consumers.

Potential topics of interest in this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

(i) mechanistic studies on food functional ingredients;
(ii) clinical evaluation of functional foods
(iii) risk–benefit assessment of functional foods. The submission of original research articles, reviews, and short communications is encouraged.

Dr. Shun Wan Chan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • functional foods
  • food safety
  • nutraceutical
  • food ingredients
  • antioxidants
  • food toxicology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

35 pages, 852 KiB  
Review
An Overview of the Current Scientific Evidence on the Biological Properties of Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (Okra)
by Carsten Tsun-Ka Kwok, Yam-Fung Ng, Hei-Tung Lydia Chan and Shun-Wan Chan
Foods 2025, 14(2), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020177 - 8 Jan 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4425
Abstract
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, commonly known as okra or lady’s finger, is an annual flowering plant belonging to the Malvaceae family. Okra is a native plant in Africa as well as a traditional medicine in Africa and India for treating different diseases and [...] Read more.
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, commonly known as okra or lady’s finger, is an annual flowering plant belonging to the Malvaceae family. Okra is a native plant in Africa as well as a traditional medicine in Africa and India for treating different diseases and conditions. Today, okra is widely consumed as a vegetable and is increasingly recognized as a superfood due to its rich nutritional profile and potential pharmacological benefits. Research indicates that okra exhibits a range of biological activities, including antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antifatigue, vasoprotective, hepatoprotective, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. Despite its promising therapeutic potential, research on the active compounds in okra and evaluating efficacy in clinical settings remains limited. This review aims to consolidate existing scientific knowledge on the biological and pharmacological properties of okra, thereby encouraging further investigation into its health benefits. Ultimately, this could pave the way for the development of functional foods or health supplements that leverage okra as a key ingredient to prevent chronic diseases and enhance overall health outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Food and Safety Evaluation: Second Edition)
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