Polysaccharides in Foods: From Structural Characterization to Biological Activities
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 April 2026 | Viewed by 128
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine-derived biological polysaccharides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: nutrition and function of polysaccharides
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polysaccharides, as essential macromolecules in foods, exhibit remarkable structural diversity and play crucial roles in both food science and human nutrition. Their significance is increasingly recognized due to their broad spectrum of biological activities, including immunomodulatory, antioxidant, prebiotic, and cholesterol-lowering effects. Despite their promising functionalities, challenges such as complex structural heterogeneity, limited solubility, variable stability, and low bioavailability have hindered their full application in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals.
Recently, innovative extraction methods and advanced characterization techniques have enabled higher yields and better preservation of the structural integrity of polysaccharides, allowing for more precise elucidation of structural features. Simultaneously, strategies such as molecular modification, encapsulation, and composite formation are being developed to enhance the functionality, stability, and targeted delivery of polysaccharides. However, the structure–activity relationships between specific structural features and physiological functions still require further investigation.
This Special Issue of Foods, titled “Polysaccharides in Foods: From Structural Characterization to Biological Activities”, will explore recent advances in the extraction, structural analysis, modification, and bioactivity evaluation of polysaccharides from diverse sources. It aims to elucidate the relationship between structure and function, and to promote innovative applications of polysaccharides in functional foods.
Prof. Dr. Yadong Zhao
Dr. Xing-Wei Xiang
Dr. Huanhuan Liu
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
- polysaccharides
- structural characterization
- biological activity
- absorption and distribution
- structure–function relationship
- encapsulation
- functional foods
- prebiotics
- delivery systems
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