Valorization of By-Product Resources for the Development and Sustainability of Functional Ingredients in Foods

Dear Colleagues,

The growing global demand for sustainable food production calls for innovative strategies that reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency and, in this context, the valorization of by-products from the agri-food industry represents a promising approach to developing functional ingredients with added value. Agro-industrial by-products can be excellent sources of polyphenols, dietary fibers, proteins, and pigments which, when properly extracted, can be transformed into ingredients capable of improving the quality, safety, and nutritional value of various food categories.

This Special Issue aims to gather original research articles, reviews, and case studies focused on the sustainable use of by-product resources to obtain functional ingredients applicable across a wide range of food systems. Contributions may address innovative extraction and processing techniques, characterization of functional properties, in vitro and in vivo assessments, regulatory aspects, and cases of real-world applications in food formulations.

We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from food science, biotechnology, microbiology, and environmental science that promote circular economy models and sustainable innovation. The ultimate goal is to provide scientific insights and practical approaches to support a more responsible and efficient food production chain.

We look forward to your valuable contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Lucia Parafati
Dr. Cristina Restuccia
Dr. Rosa Palmeri
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.