Volatile Aroma Compounds—Food Sensory and Nutrition Attributes
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 February 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: volatile organic compounds (VOCs); head space solid phase micro-extraction (HS SPME); gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS); electronic nose; food quality; food safety; plant response to abiotic stress; packaging and/or storage conditions; innovative crops pre-treatment; modified and controlled atmosphere; logistic cold chain; innovative transport system; no-destructive systems for quality evaluation of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables; sensorial evaluation of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables; consumer acceptability based on the sensory properties of food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) play a crucial role in determining taste, aroma, and overall food enjoyment. They can also reflect the quality, safety, and nutritional value of food. VOCs are emitted due to different processes that might be impulsive (ripening and contamination) or assisted (cooking or fermentation). VOCs can also be produced by changes in temperature during manufacturing, transportation, and storage. The most widely used method for volatile characterization is solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) in combination with GC or GC×GC coupled with MS.
The sensory evaluation of food can be achieved by a sensory analytical instrument (E-nose) associated with sensory analysis performed by professional panel groups. The interdisciplinary connections between a sensory panel and analytical data (VOC profiles), particularly in the context of new food products, remain insufficiently explored. In this context, this Special Issue of Foods invites you to send novel contributions concerning any aspect related to VOC monitoring, with the aim of contributing to identifying possible signature metabolites (bio-markers) or patterns, which, in combination with sensory analysis, can guarantee desirable aromatic characteristics to consumers in order to meet the expectations of the audience in a specifically targeted market (i.e., novel foods) and ensuring the highest possible quality.
Dr. Rosaria Cozzolino
Guest Editor
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
- volatile organic compounds
- microextraction techniques
- HS-SPME
- GC-MS
- GCxGC-MS
- electronic nose
- sensory analysis
- flavor and aroma
- odor and odor threshold
- odor activity values
- consumer acceptability
- fresh and fresh-cut vegetables
- genotype
- geographical origin
- packaging
- pre and postharvest treatments
- cooked food
- fermented food
- food bioactive compounds
- food quality/safety/authenticity
- food contaminants
- data statistical treatment
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