Advanced Analytical and Biotechnological Approaches for Food Quality and Safety Improvement

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Analytical Methods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 14 August 2026 | Viewed by 2102

Special Issue Editors

Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China
Interests: food detection; food preservation; food omics
Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: food biotechnology; food additives; food safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food quality and safety are of paramount importance to global public health and the sustainable development of the food industry. In light of increasingly complex global supply chains and emerging risks, conventional monitoring and control methods are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands for precision, efficiency, and intelligence. This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research in analytical science and biotechnology that addresses these pressing challenges.

Advanced analytical approaches encompass high-resolution separation techniques (e.g., UPLC-MS, GC-IMS), innovative biosensors, spectroscopic and imaging technologies (including Raman and NIR spectroscopy), nucleic acid-based detection methods (such as qRT-PCR, RNA sequencing, and gene chips), as well as data-driven solutions leveraging big data analytics and machine learning for quality traceability and risk prediction. The scope of biotechnology includes microbial metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, enzyme engineering, genome editing, biopreservation, and probiotic-based interventions.

Particular emphasis is placed on addressing critical issues such as the precise detection of contaminants (e.g., pesticide residues, heavy metals, and biotoxins), real-time quality monitoring, nutritional safety evaluation, food authenticity verification, and early warning systems across the entire supply chain. Both original research articles and comprehensive reviews demonstrating scientific innovation and practical application potential are strongly encouraged.

We warmly invite researchers from diverse disciplines to submit their latest findings. Our collective goal is to advance the integration of advanced technologies into food quality and safety management, thereby supporting the development of a comprehensive, high-precision assurance framework spanning the full supply chain.

Dr. Shan Liang
Dr. Lei Cheng
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

  • food analytical methods
  • food biotechnology
  • food safety and quality
  • food authenticity
  • biosensors
  • food omics

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

18 pages, 3363 KB  
Article
Insights into the Regulation of Indigo Production in an Engineered Escherichia coli Strain via Overexpression of Specific Transporter Genes and Proteomic Analyzes
by Jie Gao, Anni Fang, Tianjiao Meng, Baoguo Sun and Lei Cheng
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081385 - 16 Apr 2026
Viewed by 430
Abstract
Conventional extraction of indigo, a vital natural dye, provides low yields and has a negative environmental impact. However, microbial synthesis has emerged as a sustainable alternative. In this study, we describe the optimization of indigo biosynthesis in an engineered Escherichia coli strain called [...] Read more.
Conventional extraction of indigo, a vital natural dye, provides low yields and has a negative environmental impact. However, microbial synthesis has emerged as a sustainable alternative. In this study, we describe the optimization of indigo biosynthesis in an engineered Escherichia coli strain called E216. This strain carries, on a replicative plasmid, the styAB genes originating from Pseudomonas putida that constitute the monooxygenase biosynthetic pathway of indigo, as well as mdh, encoding malate dehydrogenase, which plays a role in reducing power generation. In this strain, the overexpression of mtr (a gene encoding a transporter of tryptophan (Trp), the precursor of indigo biosynthesis) and acrA (a gene encoding a protein involved in indigo efflux) was found to substantially enhance indigo yields. Consistently, knocking out these two genes using CRISPR-Cas9 significantly reduced indigo production, whereas it was restored through the complementation of these mutants. This study thus revealed that stimulating tryptophan uptake and indigo efflux, the latter of which limits indigo’s toxic intracellular accumulation, has a positive impact on indigo yields. Furthermore, a comparative mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of E216 grown in fermentation medium with or without tryptophan supplementation, integrated with data-independent acquisition (DIA), revealed the global impact of tryptophan supplementation on cellular metabolism. This analysis identified upregulation of key proteins and enriched metabolic pathways under conditions of tryptophan supplementation. Integrating the results of the genetic engineering and proteomic analysis establishes a strong scientific and practical basis for developing a highly efficient method for the green industrial production of indigo using engineered E. coli strains. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

41 pages, 21124 KB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review of On-Site Rapid Detection Methods for Antibiotic Residues in Aquatic Products (2021–2025)
by Guangyao Ying, Tingting Wang, Kunlun Li, Yuxin Wang, Jinjun Zhang, Gangjian Lin, Jun Li, Huili Xia, Jinjie Zhang and Liang Hong
Foods 2026, 15(7), 1264; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15071264 - 7 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1323
Abstract
Antibiotic residues in aquatic products pose a serious food safety concern, whereas conventional laboratory methods often fail to meet the demand for on-site rapid screening. This study systematically reviews the research progress from 2021 to 2025 on both the risks of antibiotic residues [...] Read more.
Antibiotic residues in aquatic products pose a serious food safety concern, whereas conventional laboratory methods often fail to meet the demand for on-site rapid screening. This study systematically reviews the research progress from 2021 to 2025 on both the risks of antibiotic residues in aquatic products and the development of rapid on-site detection technologies. First, based on a literature survey covering major aquatic products (e.g., fish, shrimp, and shellfish), the widespread occurrence of multiple antibiotics at high concentrations was documented, with quinolones and sulfonamides identified as the most frequently detected classes. To address the need for on-site testing, this review focuses on six rapid detection techniques: fluorescent sensor (FRS), lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), electrochemical sensor (ECRS), and colorimetric sensor (CRS). The core principles, technical advantages, recent application cases (e.g., integration with smartphones and novel nanomaterials), and development trends for each method are analyzed. Finally, it discusses the current challenges faced by existing on-site detection approaches and their potential solutions. Technology selection strategies tailored to different application scenarios (e.g., aquaculture farms, distribution channels, and consumer-level use) are also proposed. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop