Value Addition in Grains and Grain-Based Foods: From Innovative Processing to Enhanced Functionality and Nutrition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 536

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: structure and property changes of bioactive components during grain processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: the processing and high-value utilization of nutritional and health-focused coarse grains
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Grains and grain-based foods constitute a fundamental component of the global diet, providing essential macronutrients, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to value addition strategies aimed at improving the nutritional quality, functionality, and health-promoting potential of grain-derived products, while maintaining desirable sensory attributes and processing feasibility. Advances in innovative processing technologies, such as thermal and non-thermal treatments, fermentation, enzymatic modification, extrusion, and high-pressure processing, have opened new opportunities to tailor grain structures and interactions at the molecular and supramolecular levels.

This Special Issue focuses on recent progress in the value addition of grains and grain-based foods, spanning innovative processing methods, structure–function relationships, and nutritional and functional enhancement. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the modification of starch, protein, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals; interactions among grain components; the development of functional and fortified grain products; improvements in digestibility, bioavailability, and metabolic responses; and the application of emerging analytical and modeling approaches for elucidating underlying mechanisms. By integrating processing science, food chemistry, nutrition, and functionality, this Special Issue will provide comprehensive insights and promote the development of next-generation grain-based foods that meet both health and sustainability demands.

Dr. Ruge Cao
Dr. Lili Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • grains
  • value addition
  • innovative processing
  • nutritional quality
  • functional properties
  • bioactive components
  • digestibility and bioavailability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3955 KB  
Article
Molecular Interactions of Resistant Dextrin with Wheat Starch and Gluten: Structural Dynamics and Macromolecular Network Formation
by Yue Sun, Lu Wang, Yinta Li, Xue Bai, Rui Yang, Lili Wang and Ruge Cao
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1620; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101620 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 344
Abstract
Refined wheat staple foods are widely criticized for low dietary fiber and high postprandial glycemic response, making soluble dietary fiber fortification a promising strategy for cereal improvement. This study investigated how resistant dextrin (RD) modulates wheat starch, gluten, dough, and bread quality through [...] Read more.
Refined wheat staple foods are widely criticized for low dietary fiber and high postprandial glycemic response, making soluble dietary fiber fortification a promising strategy for cereal improvement. This study investigated how resistant dextrin (RD) modulates wheat starch, gluten, dough, and bread quality through multiscale interactions. In wheat starch, 6% RD gave the best overall balance, reducing 14-day retrogradation from 57.2% to 48.6%, delaying gelatinization, and restricting amylose diffusion, with hydrogen bonding identified as a major contributing interaction. In gluten, RD increased water-holding capacity but weakened network integrity, as evidenced by reduced moduli, a shift in thiol–disulfide balance, secondary-structure redistribution (increased β-sheet, decreased α-helix/β-turn), and suppressed glutenin polymerization, yielding a looser microstructure. In dough, SEM and rheological results suggested that moderate RD (4–6%) may form a hydrated, polysaccharide-rich phase that fills structural voids and improves matrix continuity, partially offsetting gluten weakening and enhancing viscoelasticity. Overall, this study establishes a quantitative relationship between RD addition level, multiscale macromolecular interactions in wheat matrices, and the processing performance and quality of bakery products. Full article
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