Insect Ingredients and Green Technologies: Innovations for Sustainable Food Systems
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editors
Interests: green extraction techniques; biorefinery; bioprospection; green chemistry metrics; supercritical fluids; deep eutectic solvents; life cycle assesment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Edible insects are a promising source of protein with the potential to significantly reduce environmental impact. However, sustainable methods for efficiently recovering insect-derived ingredients are essential to ensure that industry meets the requirements of a truly sustainable food system.
The aim of this Special Issue, titled “Insect Ingredients and Green Technologies: Innovations for Sustainable Food Systems”, is to advance knowledge and foster innovation in the production of insect-based ingredients with both functional and technological value. The contributions examine how insects can be valorized as protein, lipid, and bioactive compound sources, highlighting their potential to reduce reliance on livestock production and other harmful environmental practices. In parallel, this issue underscores the importance of green technologies, such as supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and novel bioprocesses, in enabling the safe, efficient, and scalable use of insect biomass. Beyond technological advances, it also addresses the broader goals of sustainability, the circular economy, and social acceptance, reinforcing the transformative role of insects in shaping the future of food.
Dr. Jose A. Mendiola
Dr. Luana Cristina Dos Santos
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
- edible insects
- sustainable food system
- green extraction
- insect-derived ingredients
- insect lipids
- insect chitin
- insect proteins
- future food
- novel food
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