Advancing Research on Quality and Nutrition in Cereals and Cereal-Based Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 1082

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Academy of National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, No. 11 Baiwanzhuang Street, Beijing 100037, China
Interests: cereal science; post-harvest; quality; storage
Academy of National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, No. 11 Baiwanzhuang Street, Beijing 100037, China
Interests: rice; protein; lipid; volatile compound; lipidomics

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Guest Editor
Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 50 Zhongling Street, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: rice; eating quality;, starch properties; yield; grain filling; fertilizer management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge innovations, methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing challenges and opportunities in cereal science.

Although cereals form the cornerstone of global food systems, emerging technologies, climate change, and evolving nutritional and quality demands necessitate transformative research. We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that explore novel strategies to enhance the quality, safety, and nutritional value of cereals and their derived products. We look forward to the reception of your submissions to this Special Issue.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Cereal composition and functionality, including as regards bioactive compounds, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, and starch/protein modifications and digestibility;
  • Impacts of abiotic/biotic environmental stressors on the nutritional value and quality of staple cereals, and post-harvest environmental impacts on cereal quality during storage;
  • Processing innovations, such as novel milling, extrusion, and fermentation technologies, and the impact of processing on nutrient retention and bioavailability;
  • Nutritional enhancement, including fortification with micronutrients and probiotics, as well as the development of gluten-free, low-glycemic-index and whole-grain food products;
  • Rapid detection methods for quality control and the applications of AI in predictive modeling;
  • The role of cereals in managing metabolic syndromes and their interactions with gut microbiota.

Prof. Dr. Hui Sun
Dr. Dong Zhang
Dr. Chunfang Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • cereal quality
  • nutrition
  • bioactive compounds
  • processing
  • functional foods
  • gluten-free
  • digestibility

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1977 KiB  
Article
Metabolomic Profiling and Antioxidant Capacity Changes in Longzi Black Barley During Germination
by Gan Hu, Yan Wei, Yuanhang Ren, Xinhui Wang, Dabing Xiang, Bin Li, Jinqiu Wang and Fang Geng
Foods 2025, 14(12), 2113; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14122113 - 16 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Longzi black barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum, LBB), a highland barley variant with superior nutritional properties, has gained increasing attention for its health-promoting benefits. However, the metabolic changes during its germination process remain poorly understood. This study investigated the metabolic [...] Read more.
Longzi black barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum, LBB), a highland barley variant with superior nutritional properties, has gained increasing attention for its health-promoting benefits. However, the metabolic changes during its germination process remain poorly understood. This study investigated the metabolic changes and antioxidant capacity during LBB germination. The results revealed significant dynamic changes in total flavonoid and total phenolic contents during germination, with the total flavonoids significantly decreasing by 32.59% initially (0–12 h, from 2.64 to 1.78 mg/g) and then slightly rebounding by 15.34% at 72 h, while the total phenolics decreased by 36.35% in the early stages (0–12 h, from 6.52 to 4.15 μmol/g) and increased markedly by 44.73% in the later stages (60–72 h, reaching 6.13 μmol/g) of germination. A metabolomic analysis identified 1015 metabolites, primarily including flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acids and their derivatives, and alkaloids. During germination, the total flavonoid content continuously decreased by 24.24%, the phenolic acids showed no significant change, the amino acids and their derivatives increased significantly by 3.63-fold, and the alkaloid content increased slightly by 1.30-fold in the early stages (0–12 h) and significantly by 3.39-fold in the later stages (12–60 h). The study revealed the metabolic changes during the germination of LBB, providing scientific evidence for the further utilization of its nutritional value. Full article
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Review

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29 pages, 2086 KiB  
Review
Impact of Temperature Stresses on Wheat Quality: A Focus on Starch and Protein Composition
by Pei Han, Yaping Wang and Hui Sun
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2178; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132178 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 526
Abstract
With climate change, maintaining wheat quality has become essential for the functional properties, end-use, commodity value, and nutritional benefits of wheat flour. Temperature indirectly influences wheat quality by modulating grain size, starch and protein content, and the balance between these components. This review [...] Read more.
With climate change, maintaining wheat quality has become essential for the functional properties, end-use, commodity value, and nutritional benefits of wheat flour. Temperature indirectly influences wheat quality by modulating grain size, starch and protein content, and the balance between these components. This review systematically analyzes temperature-mediated alterations in wheat grain quality, with particular emphasis on the two core components: starch and protein. Specifically, daytime warming generally increases protein content while reducing starch accumulation; however, temperatures exceeding 30 °C diminish key protein quality parameters (UPP%, Glu/Gli ratio, HMW-GS/LMW-GS ratio). Nighttime warming enhances protein quality but compromises starch content and yield potential. Conversely, under low-temperature conditions, starch content declines, whereas protein content is primarily influenced by genotypes and treated temperatures. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms driving temperature-induced changes in wheat quality traits are discussed. However, the mechanisms of temperature effects have not been fully elucidated, and the results often vary between regions or over years. Thus, identifying conserved high/low-temperature resistance genes, QTLs, epialleles, and epiQTL, as well as developing corresponding molecular markers and epi-markers, is an urgent priority. Meanwhile, genome-editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas could serve as a powerful approach for creating new wheat germplasm with durable high/low-temperature resistance. Full article
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