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Natural Active Substances in Foods: Sources, Analysis Techniques and Health...
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Natural Active Substances in Foods: Sources, Analysis Techniques and Health Benefits

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 2483

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Patras, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
Interests: food chemistry; food analysis; food authenticity; food processing; food technology; nutritional characteristics of food; food packaging; fermentation products; natural antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant foods comprise the source of numerous bioactive compounds, including macro- and micro-constituents such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fatty acids, etc., that have a special role in the cell protection of living organisms, given that they act as antioxidants against free radicals, and thus, have positive effects against chronic pathophysiological disorders such as obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. In view of the costs associated with food production, sustainability, and availability, plant-based foods are being rapidly incorporated into the human diet. However, for the accurate characterization and determination of the bioactive compounds found in plant-based foods in terms of health benefits and safety, there is a need to apply the most effective analytical techniques, such as liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), etc.

This Special Issue aims to collect groundbreaking research papers regarding sources, analysis techniques, health benefits, and safety of bioactive compounds of plant-based foods.

Dr. Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias
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

  • plant foods
  • phenolic compounds
  • antioxidants
  • analysis techniques
  • health benefits
  • toxicity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2693 KB  
Article
Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Profiling of Texturized Pea Protein Patties Partially Replaced with Chia Seed Powder During Refrigerated Storage
by Kartik Sharma, Aminee Saree, Ramida Jeenplangchat, Haymar Theinzan, Samart Sai-Ut, Passakorn Kingwascharapong, Supatra Karnjanapratum and Saroat Rawdkuen
Foods 2026, 15(2), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15020270 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 896
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable, nutrient-dense plant-based foods has intensified interest in functional ingredients that enhance nutritional quality. This study developed plant-based patties by partially replacing texturized pea protein with chia seed powder (CSP; Salvia hispanica L.) and evaluated their quality during 20 [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for sustainable, nutrient-dense plant-based foods has intensified interest in functional ingredients that enhance nutritional quality. This study developed plant-based patties by partially replacing texturized pea protein with chia seed powder (CSP; Salvia hispanica L.) and evaluated their quality during 20 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C) under nitrogen-flushed packaging. Six formulations (F1–F6) containing 0–25% CSP were evaluated for physicochemical properties, lipid oxidation, and nutritional composition. Based on an optimal balance of texture, cooking yield, antioxidant capacity, and nutritional enhancement, the formulation containing 20% CSP was selected for further analyses. Proximate analysis revealed significant increases in protein (18–21%), fat (9–12%), and ash (2–3%) contents, accompanied by a slight reduction in moisture. All formulations maintained a stable pH throughout storage. Lipid oxidation increased gradually from 0.10–0.17 to 0.89–1.10 mg MDA/kg over 20 days but remained within acceptable limits. Fatty acid profiling indicated enhanced polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 and omega-6. Amino acid analysis showed elevated levels of key amino acids, including glutamic acid, aspartic acid, arginine, leucine, and lysine. Overall, patties containing 20% CSP exhibited improved nutritional quality and satisfactory oxidative stability, highlighting CSP as a promising functional ingredient for plant-based meat alternatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Active Substances in Foods: Sources, Analysis Techniques and Health Benefits)
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15 pages, 1111 KB  
Article
Regional Differentiation of Olive Oil of the Koroneiki Olive Cultivar from the Ionian Islands Based on Key Volatile Compounds and Descriptive Data Analysis
by Nikolaos Kopsahelis, Ioannis K. Karabagias and Effimia Eriotou
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4026; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234026 - 24 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1115
Abstract
Given that olive oil produced in the Ionian islands has not been extensively studied, forty-seven olive oil samples of the Koroneiki olive cultivar were collected from Zakynthos, Kerkyra, Kefalonia, and Leukada, which comprise well-known islands of the Ionian Sea. The samples were subjected [...] Read more.
Given that olive oil produced in the Ionian islands has not been extensively studied, forty-seven olive oil samples of the Koroneiki olive cultivar were collected from Zakynthos, Kerkyra, Kefalonia, and Leukada, which comprise well-known islands of the Ionian Sea. The samples were subjected to analysis of volatile compounds using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Based on HS-SPME/GC-MS analysis, twenty-five volatile compounds were tentatively identified and semi-quantified using the internal standard method. Volatile compounds included alcohols, aldehydes, benzene derivatives, esters, hydrocarbons, ketones, and terpenoids. The application of descriptive data analysis, such as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and factor analysis (FA), to the semi-quantitative data (μg/L) of the identified volatile compounds resulted in the extraction of key volatile compounds that differentiated olive oil samples of the Koroneiki olive cultivar according to geographical origin. The cross-validation method of LDA showed a prediction rate of 83.0%, whereas the variance explained by FA was approximately 69.06% (69.055%). The key volatile compounds that were associated most with the geographical origin of olive oil samples were (Z)-1,3-pentadiene, dodecane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl-heptane, 3-ethyl-1,5-octadiene, 2,4-dimethyl-heptane, 4-methyloctane, ethanol, 2-hexanol, and 3-methylbutanal, among others. The study contributes to the regional features of olive oil of the Koroneiki olive cultivar from the Ionian islands based on key volatile compounds and further supports the consecutive research of the international community regarding olive oil authentication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Active Substances in Foods: Sources, Analysis Techniques and Health Benefits)
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