Polyphenols as Antioxidants in Food: Characterization, Analysis and Applications
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 86
Special Issue Editor
Interests: natural antioxidants; phenolic compounds; quality of food; analytical methods for antioxidants; antioxidant status of food; oxidative stability; process optimization; design of experiment (DOE); response surface method
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Phenolics are secondary plant metabolites that are spread widely across different natural environments and have been studied for a long time. In plants, they act as signaling molecules; they can protect plant cells from UV light, reactive oxygen species and pathogens; and even attract pollinators. Phenolics include thousands of compounds that exhibit great diversity in their carbon skeletons, ranging from a single hydroxylated aromatic ring (phenolic acids) to two or more phenol rings (polyphenols).
Polyphenols are one of the most important phenolic groups and vary in terms of their structure (two or more phenol rings and the number, type, and position of functional groups and glycoside forms) and their biological activities. They include flavonoids, stilbenes and lignans, which are important components of the daily diet and are found in fruit, vegetables, seeds, grains, nuts, leaves, flowers and their processed products (e.g., wine, chocolate, tea, and kombucha). The unwavering interest in polyphenols results from their beneficial effect on the body’s defense mechanism against so-called lifestyle-related diseases (such as coronary heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases). Their health benefits are ascribed mainly to their antioxidant properties but also to their role as signaling compounds (through pro-oxidant activity for some). In food, they act as antioxidants and delay the oxidation processes of lipids, proteins, vitamins and pigments. They can also contribute to sensory properties, giving food items a specific color or taste. In some specific conditions (e.g., food matrix and storage conditions), they can also exert pro-oxidant activity.
The aim of this Special Issue is to gather new/deeper insights into the role of polyphenols as antioxidants in food in terms of new sources of these compounds, extraction and purification techniques from diverse materials, analytical methods for compound identification, innovative application strategies in food (biofilms, nanocapsules, etc.), interaction with other compounds in the food matrix (such as polyphenol–protein interactions) and changes in their antioxidant activity in food during storage.
Researchers are encouraged to submit both original research and review articles that report results within this context.
Dr. Malgorzata Muzolf-Panek
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 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
- polyphenols
- antioxidants
- plant extracts
- extraction techniques
- identification methods
- innovative application strategy in food
- polyphenol–food compound interaction
- food quality
- oxidative stability
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