Plant Bioactives: Extraction and Utilization in Food Industry
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 46
Special Issue Editors
2. CERENA—Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
3. CBIOS—Center for Research in Biosciences & Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: green technologies; supercritical fluid extraction; bioactive compounds obtained from natural sources for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications; biomass exploitation potential
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: grain; functional foods; antioxidant compounds; functional food ingredient; grains in human health; carotenoids; anthocyanins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plant bioactives—such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids—play pivotal roles in shaping the nutritional and functional properties of foods. Their extraction, characterization, and incorporation into food products have become central to addressing consumer demands for health-focused, natural, and sustainable options. Therefore, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Plant Bioactives: Extraction and Utilization in Food Industry”. This area of research is at the forefront of innovations in food science, offering immense potential to enhance health, sustainability, and product development. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements and innovative techniques in the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants and their application in the food industry. Your insights on this subject can help advance the understanding of this fascinating and rapidly evolving field of study.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies on topics including, but not limited to, the following:
-Innovative extraction techniques: From traditional methods to green and sustainable technologies such as supercritical CO₂ extraction or ultrasound-assisted methods.
- Applications in food: Development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and bioactive-enriched products.
- Health benefits and bioavailability: Antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of plant bioactives. Addressing the challenges in maintaining bioactivity during processing and ensuring efficacy.
- Sustainability: Utilization of plant by-products as bioactive-rich resources, contributing to circular economy practices and strategies for using plant by-products to reduce production costs and environmental impact.
- Challenges and Limitations: Addressing the technical and economic challenges in the extraction and application of plant bioactives.
We are looking forward to your valuable contribution to this Special Issue.
Dr. Maria João Cebola
Dr. El-Sayed M. Abdel-Aal
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
- extraction techniques
- types of bioactive compounds
- applications in food
- bioavailability and stability
- sustainability and by-products
- challenges and regulation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
