Pathogen Detection, Identification, and Analysis in Food Safety Control
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food safety and hygiene; predictive modelling; active packaging; food spoilage; shelf-life; fungi ecology; mycotoxins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food microbiology; food quality and safety; probiotic microorganisms; rapid technologies (FTIR, GC-MS, Raman, HPLC); data analytics; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite the technological advancements in food preservation and safety, foodborne pathogens remain a global concern, as they continue to be responsible for significant percentage of disease outbreaks, imposing a considerable economic burden. Thus, prompt and reliable detection of foodborne pathogens using rapid, accurate, highly sensitive as well as easy to use methods is essential for the effective control and prevention, serving as a critical step in minimizing both health risks and economic consequences.
This Special Issue, entitled “Pathogen Detection, Identification, and Analysis in Food Safety Control”, aims to feature original research articles and comprehensive reviews focusing on emerging and advanced methodologies—such as molecular diagnostics, next generation sequencing, biosensors, artificial intelligence etc.—for the detection and identification of foodborne pathogens (namely bacteria and fungi) and their toxins. Particular emphasis will be given on innovative techniques and their integration with conventional approaches—such as culture-based methods, biochemical test methods, immunological assays, and nucleic acid-based techniques—in order to enhance sensitivity and efficiency. Advanced detection and identification techniques of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Array-based methods (e.g., DNA microarray)
- Spectroscopy techniques (e.g., Fourier-transform infrared [FT-IR], Raman spectroscopy, Hyperspectral Imaging)
- Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)
- Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies
- Biosensors (e.g., optical, electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescence-based)
- Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)
- Microscopic techniques (e.g., fluorescence microscopy)
This special issue will provide information and highlight the dynamic of these advanced tools, especially when applied in tandem with established methodologies, to improve pathogen surveillance, outbreak investigation, and food safety monitoring.
Dr. Anastasia Kapetanakou
Dr. Olga Papadopoulou
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 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
- foodborne pathogens
- food safety
- culture-based methods
- PCR
- array-based methods
- spectroscopy
- NGS
- biosensors
- MALDI-TOF MS
- microscopy techniques
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