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A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining...
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A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 11555

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Debao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: meat; packaging; preservation; electrostatic field
Dr. Qingfeng Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China
Interests: development of novel nano-preservation packaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People rely on food as a fundamental human necessity. As living standards improve, consumers' demands for nutritional value, shelf life, and food diversity become increasingly diversified. To meet these consumption and nutritional needs, continuous innovation in new foods is essential, incorporating the latest technologies to ensure optimal quality maintenance. Simultaneously, these new products must be paired with suitable novel (e.g., antibacterial or antioxidant) active packaging materials to effectively preserve quality and nutrition while reducing losses during storage, transportation, sales processes, etc., thereby enhancing the overall value of food. Microorganisms are the primary external factors contributing to food spoilage and deterioration; hence, innovation in food processing techniques, preservation technologies, and packaging materials is imperative. This Special Issue will explore the development of food processing techniques, preservation technologies, and packaging materials.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies that address these themes. Submissions should provide fresh insights and practical solutions that can contribute to this field.

Dr. Debao Wang
Dr. Qingfeng Yang
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • preservation technology
  • packaging
  • advanced material
  • functional active factor
  • microorganism
  • innovative food
  • edible quality
  • new technology of food processing

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1683 KB  
Article
Applying Factorial Modeling to the Optimization of Textural Descriptors and Sensations Relative to Obtaining the Experimental Prototype of Chickpea Puree with Avocado
by Maria Lidia Iancu and Ion Dan Mironescu
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4082; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234082 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 175
Abstract
The aim of this study was to obtain an optimized recipe for a chickpea avocado puree food prototype. The optimization was performed using a model constructed from the results of a 23 factorial experimental design with central points. The model correlates three [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to obtain an optimized recipe for a chickpea avocado puree food prototype. The optimization was performed using a model constructed from the results of a 23 factorial experimental design with central points. The model correlates three factors set through the recipe—chickpea content, avocado content and sugar-to-vinegar ratio- with some measurable quality indicators—instrumentally determined textural descriptors, sensorial determined textural descriptors and acidity. The nine recipes for the chickpea and avocado puree corresponding to the 23 experiments and the central point were compared in order to select the best candidate for the prototype. The statistical analysis of the results through ANOVA has shown that the instrumental and sensorial texture indicators are influenced by ale factors and al interactions between them (all combination of two and all three) (p < 0.05). The influence of vinegar-to-sugar ratio and of the interaction of all three factors on acidity in the current experimental context cannot be statistically sustained (p > 0.05). The significance of the coefficients of the regression model was also statistically confirmed. The destabilizing force had values between 59.5 g and 108.3 g, the total acidity (expressed in acetic acid grams/100 g product) was between 0.8 and 1.62 and the sensory scores were between 8.8 and 11 points out of a maximum of 25 points. The recipe that was chosen as optimal, both for its sensorial and chemo-physical properties, (instrumental texture and acidity) was that corresponding to experiment 1. The recipe is based on an equal proportion of chickpeas (x1) and avocado (x2) and with a ratio between sugars and acid (x3) of 32.5. The values of the force (Y1) for exp.1 was 63.7 g and, according to the mathematical model, the most significant influence is of the chickpea and avocado quantities and sugars/acids ratio. The cohesion forces between the ground chickpea particles and avocado resulting from the protein–lipid interaction influenced the textural properties (hardness, spreadability, consistency and creaminess) to a cumulative value of 2.75 out of a maximum of 5. The product obtained following the recipe corresponding to experiment 1 has an acidity (expressed as gram of acetic acid/100 g product) of 0.960 and a humidity of 74.9% (the highest of all recipes). The product has the user acceptability and the quality indicators needed for mass production and commercialization. It can contribute to the increase in avocado consumption and popularity in Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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17 pages, 2899 KB  
Article
Hyperspectral Imaging for Quality Assessment of Processed Foods: A Case Study on Sugar Content in Apple Jam
by Danila Lissovoy, Alina Zakeryanova, Rustem Orazbayev, Tomiris Rakhimzhanova, Michael Lewis, Huseyin Atakan Varol and Mei-Yen Chan
Foods 2025, 14(21), 3585; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213585 - 22 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1038
Abstract
Apple jam is a widely used all-season product. The quality of the jam is closely related to its sugar concentration, which affects its taste, texture, shelf life, and legal compliance with production requirements. Although traditional methods for measuring sugar, such as titration, enzymatic [...] Read more.
Apple jam is a widely used all-season product. The quality of the jam is closely related to its sugar concentration, which affects its taste, texture, shelf life, and legal compliance with production requirements. Although traditional methods for measuring sugar, such as titration, enzymatic methods, and chromatography, are accurate, they are also invasive, destructive, and unsuitable for rapid screening. This study investigates a non-destructive and non-invasive alternative method that uses hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in combination with machine learning to estimate the sugar content in processed apple products. Eight cultivars were selected from the Central Asian region, recognized as the origin of apples and known for its rich diversity of apple cultivars. A total of 88 jam samples were prepared with sugar concentrations ranging from 25% to 75%. For each sample, several hyperspectral images were obtained using a visible-to-near-infrared (VNIR) camera. The acquired spectral data were then processed and analyzed using regression models, including the support vector machine (SVM), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and a one-dimensional residual network (1D ResNet). Among them, ResNet achieved the highest prediction accuracy of R2 = 0.948. The results highlight the potential of HSI and machine learning for a fast, accurate, and non-invasive assessment of the sugar content in processed foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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21 pages, 4454 KB  
Article
Food Safety Distribution Systems Using Private Blockchain: Ensuring Traceability and Data Integrity Verification
by Seung Eel Oh, Jong-Hoon Kim, Ji-Young Kim and Jae-Hwan Ahn
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1405; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081405 - 18 Apr 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2401
Abstract
The complexity of contemporary supply chains and the rise in foodborne illness cases have made ensuring food safety and traceability a top responsibility on a worldwide scale. Traditional traceability systems are prone to data tampering, fragmentation, and limited compatibility. Public blockchains have scalability, [...] Read more.
The complexity of contemporary supply chains and the rise in foodborne illness cases have made ensuring food safety and traceability a top responsibility on a worldwide scale. Traditional traceability systems are prone to data tampering, fragmentation, and limited compatibility. Public blockchains have scalability, latency, and privacy problems that limit their use in real-time food safety systems, despite the fact that blockchain provides a secure data structure. Using Hyperledger Fabric, GS1 EPCIS standards, and Internet of Things-enabled environmental sensors, this paper suggests a private blockchain-based food safety monitoring system. To guarantee fault-tolerant, high-throughput processing in a permissioned blockchain setting, a Raft consensus mechanism was used. Hyperledger Caliper was used to benchmark the system once it was deployed with four nodes. According to experimental data, transaction throughput peaked at 230.2 TPS and averaged 207.4 ± 10.2 TPS. As the network grew from two to four nodes, latency increased somewhat from 259.3 ± 9.5 ms to 278.7 ± 9.1 ms, while block finalization time stayed below 3.184 ± 0.113 s. Over 114,925 documented transactions, data integrity was confirmed to be flawless. These results demonstrate that private blockchain technology can provide effective, scalable, and impenetrable food traceability, boosting openness and confidence throughout food networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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18 pages, 2447 KB  
Article
Combined Effect of Cold Atmospheric Plasma and Chitooligosaccharide–EGCG Conjugate on Quality and Shelf-Life of Depurated Asian Green Mussel
by Ajay Mittal, Soottawat Benjakul, Nigel Brunton, Deepak Kadam and Avtar Singh
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081399 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 907
Abstract
The combined effects of chitooligosaccharide–epigallocatechin gallate conjugate (CEC) at different concentrations (1, 2, and 3%, w/w) and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on the depurated Asian green mussel edible portion (AGM-EP) were investigated during refrigerated storage for 15 days. Among all [...] Read more.
The combined effects of chitooligosaccharide–epigallocatechin gallate conjugate (CEC) at different concentrations (1, 2, and 3%, w/w) and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on the depurated Asian green mussel edible portion (AGM-EP) were investigated during refrigerated storage for 15 days. Among all the treatments, the microbial counts, total volatile bases (TMA-N and TVB-N), and lipid oxidation of AGM-EP-treated 3% CEC in conjunction with CAP (CEC-3-CAP) were lower than the other samples during 15-day storage (p < 0.05). Total viable bacteria (6.16 log CFU/g sample), psychrotrophic bacteria (3.24 log CFU/g sample), Vibrio spp. (2.47 log CFU/g sample), presumptive Pseudomonas (5.93 log CFU/g sample), and H2S-producing bacteria (5.05 log CFU/g sample) counts of the CEC-3-CAP were lower than samples treated with 1 and 2% (w/w) CEC on day 15, as well as samples solely treated using CAP during refrigerated storage, irrespective of storage time. Additionally, CEC-3-CAP had significantly lower lipid oxidation (PV: 8.36 mg cumene hydroperoxide/kg sample and TBARS: 2.65 mg MDA/kg sample) as compared to those without CEC added and other samples (p < 0.05). The incorporation of CEC effectively mitigated lipid oxidation as supported by lower reduction of PUFAs in AGM-EP. Moreover, on day 0, no significant differences were observed in cooking loss or textural parameters (firmness and toughness) among the treatments (p > 0.05). However, as storage progressed, cooking loss increased in the CEC-3-CAP sample, while a noticeable decline in firmness and toughness was recorded (p < 0.05). This further attributed to the lower likeness attained for CAP-3-CAP on day 12, but the score was higher than the acceptable limit (5.0). Therefore, CAP together with CEC is a promising technology to prolong the shelf-life of depurated AGM-EP by at least 9 days as compared to the control (3 days), but it certainly needs further studies for the retention of textural properties and sensorial attributes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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16 pages, 5966 KB  
Article
The Effects of Packaging Barrier Properties Coupled with Storage Temperatures on the Dominant Spoilage Bacteria Composition and Freshness Quality of Lamb
by Debao Wang, Xiaoyu Chai, Su Wang, Tongtong Zhao, Xiaochun Zheng, Weili Rao, Huiguo Yang, Dequan Zhang and Chengli Hou
Foods 2025, 14(3), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030343 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1943
Abstract
This study aims to establish a preservation method by coupling certain barrier packaging with storage temperatures suitable for extending the shelf of chilled lamb. Chilled lamb was packaged using three different oxygen permeability packaging materials of high-oxygen-barrier packaging (HORP), medium-oxygen-barrier packaging (MORP), and [...] Read more.
This study aims to establish a preservation method by coupling certain barrier packaging with storage temperatures suitable for extending the shelf of chilled lamb. Chilled lamb was packaged using three different oxygen permeability packaging materials of high-oxygen-barrier packaging (HORP), medium-oxygen-barrier packaging (MORP), and low-oxygen-barrier packaging (LORP) (1.70, 23.95, and 1631.44 cm3/(m2·24·h·0.1·MPa), respectively, then stored at temperatures of 4 °C and −1 °C for 28 days, respectively. The results of total viable count, pH, color, and volatile basic nitrogen indicate that HORP effectively inhibits the growth rate of surface microorganisms and the oxidation rate of proteins in lamb. The sulfhydryl content, carbonyl value, and electronic nose suggest that the oxidative decomposition rate of lamb during storage at −1 °C is lower compared to storage conditions at 4 °C. The microbial diversity suggests that HORP significantly hinders the growth and reproduction of Pseudomonas and Brochothrix aerobic spoilage bacteria, as well as diminishes the abundance of the dominant microbial community. Herein, utilizing high-barrier packaging with an oxygen permeability of lower than 1.70 cm3/(m2·24·h·0.1·MPa) in conjunction with ice temperature storage at −1 °C is a highly effective preservation method for prolonging the shelf life of chilled lamb to 28 days. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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Review

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29 pages, 8284 KB  
Review
A Review on Replacing Food Packaging Plastics with Nature-Inspired Bio-Based Materials
by Shengsi Hu, Lu Han, Chenfeng Yu, Leiqing Pan and Kang Tu
Foods 2025, 14(10), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101661 - 8 May 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4607
Abstract
Food packaging is critical to delaying food spoilage, maintaining food quality, reducing food waste, and ensuring food safety. However, the environmental problems associated with petroleum-based packaging materials have led to a search for sustainable alternatives. Bio-based materials are emerging as such alternatives, but [...] Read more.
Food packaging is critical to delaying food spoilage, maintaining food quality, reducing food waste, and ensuring food safety. However, the environmental problems associated with petroleum-based packaging materials have led to a search for sustainable alternatives. Bio-based materials are emerging as such alternatives, but they have limitations such as low mechanical strength and poor moisture resistance. Fortunately, nature’s insights guide solutions to these challenges, propelling the evolution of high-performance bio-based packaging. These new food packaging materials are characterized by impact resistance, superhydrophobicity, self-healing capabilities, dynamic controlled release, high mechanical strength, and real-time freshness monitoring. Nature-inspired strategies not only focus on enhancing material performance but also introduce innovative design concepts that effectively avoid the homogenization of food packaging and inspire researchers to develop diverse, cutting-edge solutions. Overcoming the existing problems of bio-based materials and endowing them with breakthrough properties are key drivers for their replacement of food packaging plastics. This review provides insights into the application of biomimetics in enhancing the functionality of bio-based materials and clearly articulates the key drivers for the replacement of plastic food packaging by bio-based materials. By systematically integrating existing research findings, this paper identifies the challenges facing nature-inspired food packaging innovations and points the way to their future development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Novel Perspective on the Advancement of Technology for Maintaining Food Quality and Monitoring and Identifying Safety Characteristics)
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