Designing Safe and Functional Fermented Foods: Integrating Bioactivity, Microbial Control, and Food Safety
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: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 875
Editors
Interests: bioconversion of agricultural waste into value-added products; biodegradable packaging from agricultural waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biotechnology; probiotics; iron oxide nanoparticles; encapsulation; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fermented foods are gaining attention for their ability to deliver bioactive compounds and beneficial microorganisms. However, developing these foods requires careful attention to functionality, microbial safety, and product stability. Fermentation can improve bioavailability, taste, and nutrition, but if not well managed, it may also pose microbiological, chemical, or toxicological risks.
This Special Issue explores how to design fermented foods that are both safe and functional. It highlights ways to enrich foods with bioactive compounds, control microbes, and assess food safety. The focus is on using fermentation to boost bioactivity, fight harmful microbes, and extend shelf life, not just as a traditional method. We especially welcome work on starter culture selection, probiotic safety, antimicrobial compounds, and ways to reduce unwanted microbial or chemical risks.
The scope is to showcase new developments in fermentation biotechnology, microbial ecology, food safety checks, and encapsulation methods. These advances help create fermented foods with proven benefits and safety, including traditional, plant-based, and by-product-based products, for both research and industry.
We invite contributions on topics such as:
- Designing fermentation systems to improve bioactivity and ensure microbial safety.
- Probiotics, starter cultures, and antimicrobial metabolites in food design.
- Food safety, toxicological, and microbiological assessment of fermented foods.
- Developing encapsulation and processing methods to keep fermented products functional and safe.
Dr. Lavinia Calinoiu
Dr. Călina Ciont
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-anonymized 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
- fermented foods
- food safety
- probiotics
- antimicrobial activity
- bioactive compounds
- lactic acid bacteria
- fermentation control
- functional food design
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