Advances in Preparation, Characterisation, Assessment, and Application of Functional Lipids

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2025) | Viewed by 3103

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: functional lipids, lipid chemistry, delivery systems of bioactive compounds
College of Food Science, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
Interests: functional lipids; high-value utilization of grain and oil processing by products; lipid chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional lipids are lipids that have specific physiological activities or technological functions in addition to providing energy, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, glycolipids, phytosterols, medium-chain triglycerides, diglycerides, structured lipids, etc. They have a positive impact on health through regulation of metabolism, signaling, inflammatory responses, and other pathways, and are widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and short communications that highlight recent advances in this rapidly evolving field. Topics of interest include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • Innovative methods for the extraction, purification, and green manufacturing of functional lipids.
  • High-throughput analysis and identification methods for functional lipids.
  • Assessment of the nutritional efficacy, disease control, and metabolic regulation of functional lipids.
  • Structural barriers for improving bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds.

Dr. Li Liang
Dr. Xin Guo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • functional lipids
  • phospholipids
  • extraction
  • purification
  • manufacturing
  • analysis methods
  • nutritional efficacy
  • delivery system

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1530 KB  
Article
Enriching Egg Quality of Laying Hens from the Canary Islands by Feeding with Echium Oil
by Jesús Villora, Alexandr Torres, María Fresno, Sergio Álvarez, Nieves Guadalupe Acosta, José Antonio Pérez and Covadonga Rodríguez
Foods 2026, 15(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15010018 - 21 Dec 2025
Viewed by 925
Abstract
Echium species, abundant in the Canary Islands, contain unique fatty acids (FA) such as stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4n-3) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA; 18:3n-6), which may improve egg quality while valorizing local genetic resources. This study evaluated the effects of Echium plantaegineum oil (EO) [...] Read more.
Echium species, abundant in the Canary Islands, contain unique fatty acids (FA) such as stearidonic acid (SDA; 18:4n-3) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA; 18:3n-6), which may improve egg quality while valorizing local genetic resources. This study evaluated the effects of Echium plantaegineum oil (EO) compared with linseed oil (LO) and soybean oil (SO) on productive performance, egg quality, sensory traits, and yolk fatty acid profile. Forty-eight hens from the Canary Islands were fed for 31 days with diets supplemented with 1.25% SO (SO-d), 1.1% LO + 0.15% beef tallow (LO-d), and 1% EO + 0.25% LO (EO-d). LO supplementation reduced laying rate and egg mass with respect to SO, increasing feed conversion ratio (FCR), whereas EO produced slightly lighter eggs compared to the SO group but with normal yolk proportion and shell traits. EO markedly increased egg yolk deposition of SDA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (n-3 DPA; 22:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), while lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio and thrombogenic index (TI). No differences were observed in the evaluated sensory attributes among treatments. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of EO effectively enriches eggs with n-3 LC-PUFA without negatively affecting sensory quality, supporting its potential use as a functional ingredient in laying hen diets. Full article
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17 pages, 1112 KB  
Article
Effect of Lard-Derived Diacylglycerol as a Potential Alternative on the Flavor Characteristics of Frankfurters
by Xinxin Zhao, Yunling Jiang, Zixin Luo, Hai Yu, Jiangyu Zhu, Xinyan Peng, Lang Zhang, Qingfeng Ge and Mangang Wu
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4059; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234059 - 26 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 761
Abstract
Partial or total replacement of pork fat with homologous functional oils may meet consumer demand for healthy meat products while preserving their sensory quality. This study investigated the use of lard-derived diacylglycerol (DG) as a fat replacer on the flavor characteristics of frankfurters. [...] Read more.
Partial or total replacement of pork fat with homologous functional oils may meet consumer demand for healthy meat products while preserving their sensory quality. This study investigated the use of lard-derived diacylglycerol (DG) as a fat replacer on the flavor characteristics of frankfurters. The results revealed that substituting pork fat with purified glycerolized lard (PGL) at different levels (25%, 50%, and 100%) increased the water content and water activity, improved the L* and b* values, and protein thermal stability, while decreasing the a* value of frankfurters. Meanwhile, electronic nose results showed that replacing pork fat with PGL affected the aroma of frankfurters. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detected 50 volatile compounds in all the frankfurters (such as aldehydes, alcohols, terpenes, and aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.). Replacing lard with PGL significantly increased the variety and content of flavor compounds in frankfurters (p < 0.05). According to the approximate odor activity values (OAV) > 1 and variable importance in projection (VIP) > 1, the distinct flavor of the frankfurters with different levels of PGL mainly resulted from aldehydes, alcohols, and terpenes. Generally, this study provided a valuable theoretical foundation for substituting fat with lard-derived DG to improve the flavor characteristics of frankfurters. Full article
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28 pages, 1676 KB  
Systematic Review
Optimizing Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids for Healthy Ageing: Human Intake Evidence and Dairy Cow Dietary Interventions for Milk Enrichment
by Maria Dimopoulou, Panagiotis Madesis, Aliki Dimopoulou and Olga Gortzi
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061079 - 19 Mar 2026
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Abstract
As populations around the world continue to age, promoting healthy ageing has become a key public health priority. Nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining physical and cognitive function later in life, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are essential components of cell [...] Read more.
As populations around the world continue to age, promoting healthy ageing has become a key public health priority. Nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining physical and cognitive function later in life, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are essential components of cell membranes and are known for their anti-inflammatory and cardio-protective effects. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are major contributors to age-related decline, and omega-3s help mitigate these processes by modulating immune responses and improving endothelial function. This systematic review aims to examine the potential of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammatory markers and improve overall health. Moreover, it aims to present the most effective dietary interventions in dairy cows that increase PUFA content in milk. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published up to November 2025. Evidence suggests that older adults who consume higher levels of PUFA tend to have better cardiovascular health, preserved cognitive function, and a lower risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and arthritis, and reduce the risk of frailty and disability in later years. Dietary manipulation to enhance PUFA in bovine milk represents a promising strategy for improving human nutrition while potentially benefiting cow health. Full article
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