Research Trends in Plant-Based Foods
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 61
Special Issue Editors
Interests: natural extracts; innovative technologies; chemical characterisation; antioxidants; bioactive compounds
Interests: green technologies; supercritical fluid technologies; bioactive compounds; antioxidants; lipid oxidation; food waste recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: natural products; antioxidants; chemical analysis; Mediterranean species; plant bioactivities; agro-food by-products; enzymes inhibition; functional foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, the food sector has seen a significant increase in plant-based products because of growing attention to health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. Plant-based foods as alternatives to meat, dairy, and other animal-derived products are rapidly gaining market share, supported by technological innovations, increased investment in research and development, and shifting dietary preferences. Recent trends include improvements in taste and texture and the use of alternative protein sources (such as peas, soy, mushrooms, and microalgae).
Beyond the development of meat and dairy substitutes, a significant emerging trend is the incorporation of natural extracts derived from plants and agricultural by-products, such as peels, leaves, and seeds, supporting a circular economy approach. These extracts are gaining increasing attention for their nutritional, functional, and environmental value. Rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and dietary fibers, they are used to enhance the health profile, antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes of plant-based formulations.
Innovative extraction techniques, including ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical CO2 extraction, and the use of green solvents, enable the efficient and sustainable recovery of these high-value compounds. Together, these developments point to a promising future for plant-based nutrition, with strong implications for health, food innovation, and global environmental sustainability.
Dr. Maria Concetta Tenuta
Prof. Dr. Giovanna Ferrentino
Prof. Dr. Rosa Tundis
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
- natural plant-based extracts
- innovative technologies
- nutraceutical properties
- functional properties
- bioactive compounds
- antioxidant compounds
- plant-based formulations
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