Soybean and Human Nutrition

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Foods is dedicated to processing, bioactivity, and health in the context of soybean and human nutrition. Soy is a cornerstone of sustainable diets, valued not only for its high-quality protein and balanced amino acid profile but also for its rich spectrum of bioactive components. The transformation of soy into health-promoting foods is critically dependent on processing, which unlocks its nutritional potential, while mitigating existing anti-nutritional factors and improving palatability. This Special Issue seeks to compile cutting-edge research that bridges food science and nutritional physiology, focusing on how processing innovations—from traditional fermentation to novel technologies—can enhance the functionality, safety, and acceptance of soy-based foods for human health.

We welcome original research articles and reviews that provide novel insights and robust evidence. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

1. Effects of processing on soybean nutritional properties and functionality.
2. Health benefits of soybean bioactive components.
3. Soybean’s protein digestibility, amino acid bioavailability, and role in muscle and metabolic health.
4. Impact of soybean components on gut health.
5. Soybean consumption and metabolic health.
6. Influence of processing and storage on the oxidative stability and shelf-life of soy products.
7. Reduction in or elimination of anti-nutritional factors (e.g., trypsin inhibitors, phytates, allergens) in soybean products.
8. Novel food development: Design, formulation, and sensory optimization of innovative soy-based foods and ingredients (e.g., meat/dairy analogues, functional ingredients).

Prof. Dr. Huanyu Zheng
Prof. Dr. Yang Li
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.