Food Proteins and Peptides: Processing, Functionality, and Bioavailability
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food chemistry; collagen; protein gel; functional food; aquatic product; protein oxidation; LC-MS/MS
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Special Issue, ‘Food Proteins and Peptides: Processing, Functionality, and Bioavailability’, will focus on the multifaceted roles and mechanisms of proteins within contemporary food systems. It will explore how proteins underpin both nutritional value and key functional attributes—such as water-holding capacity, emulsification, foaming, and gelation—while detailing the molecular interactions (e.g., cross-linking, aggregation, and controlled degradation) that occur during processing. Particular attention will be given to how thermal, mechanical, enzymatic, and emerging nonthermal technologies, as well as storage conditions, modify protein conformation and supramolecular structure, thereby tailoring functionality and product quality.
This Special Issue will also address digestibility and bioavailability, investigating how structural alterations influence proteolysis by human digestive enzymes, amino acid release, peptide absorption, and downstream bioactive effects. Integrating insights from chemistry, materials science, and nutrition, this Special Issue will highlight strategies to optimize protein utilization in diverse product matrices, including plant and alternative protein formulations. Ultimately, this Special Issue aims to guide the design of sustainable, health-promoting foods by aligning process conditions with targeted physicochemical properties and physiological outcomes, thereby supporting innovation across the food supply chain.
Dr. Song Gao
Prof. Dr. Qingfeng Ge
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
- muscle foods
- protein functionality
- protein digestion
- peptides
- bioavailability
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