Innovative Cereal and Legume-Based Food: Functional and Nutritional Benefits
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 1027
Special Issue Editors
Interests: functional food; food fermentation and biotechnology; gut microbiota
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cereals and legumes—foundational to global food security—possess untapped potential as functional food ingredients. This Special Issue seeks cutting-edge research on redefining these staples through technological and nutritional advancements. We invite studies focusing on novel processing techniques (extrusion, fermentation, bioprocessing, and so on) that enhance the bioavailability of bioactive compounds (phenolics, β-glucans, dietary fibre) while mitigating antinutrients. Contributions should address health mechanisms linking cereal and legume to chronic disease prevention—particularly gut health modulation, glycemic control, and cardiovascular protection. Submissions may also explore sustainable applications, such as plant-based meat analogues, gluten-free formulations, and precision-fortified foods targeting malnutrition. This Special Issue aims to catalyze the transition from traditional consumption to science-driven functional food systems, ultimately bridging agricultural sustainability with public health imperatives.
We invite contributions on the following topics:
- Bioactive enhancementthrough novel processing: extrusion, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation.
- Health mechanism validation: gut–microbiota crosstalk and metabolic regulation.
- Sustainable product innovation: plant-based analogues and nutrient-dense formulations.
We seek studies that bridge food chemistry, nutrition, and engineering in order to redefine cereal/legume applications.
Dr. Ying Zhu
Dr. Jiayan Zhang
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
- bioactive enhancement
- antinutrient reduction
- bioavailability of bioactive compounds
- gut health modulation
- plant-based food design
- nutrient delivery
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