Food Protein-Derived Peptides and Their Relationship with Food Flavor
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 December 2026 | Viewed by 189
Editors
Interests: food microorganisms; food fermentation; food flavor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: structure-activity relationship and interactions during fermentation; food flavor chemistry; fermentation kinetics and process analytical testing technologies
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food protein-derived peptides, as key bioactive components generated during food processing, fermentation, or digestion, not only carry significant nutritional and functional properties but also play a central role in shaping food flavor characteristics. The interactions between peptides and flavor compounds—whether through direct taste contributions (e.g., umami enhancement, bitterness formation) or by influencing the release, stability and perception of aromas—profoundly determine the sensory quality and consumer acceptance of foods. This complex relationship involves dynamic changes in the physicochemical properties of food matrices, regulation of microbial metabolism and molecular mechanisms at multi-omics levels, representing a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field in food science and flavor research.
This Special Issue of Foods aims to systematically explore the multidimensional relationship and intrinsic mechanisms between food protein-derived peptides and food flavor formation. We welcome original research and review articles focusing on, but not limited to, the following directions:
- Formation Mechanisms and Regulation: Proteolytic pathways, optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis processes, kinetics of peptide generation during fermentation and their influence on flavor precursors.
- Interactions and Sensory Effects: Molecular interaction mechanisms between peptides and flavor compounds; peptide-mediated modulation of basic tastes (umami, bitterness, saltiness, etc.) and aroma profiles; sensory omics and consumer perception studies.
- Technological Innovations and Applications: Peptide-based flavor modification, masking and enhancement technologies; development of peptide-derived flavor ingredients; peptide-mediated strategies for flavor stability during processing.
- Multi-Omics Integrative Studies: Cross-disciplinary applications of proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics and sensory science in peptide-flavor research.
- Nutrition and Health Dimensions: Dual functionality of flavor-active peptides (sensory and physiological activities); correlations among peptide structure, flavor and digestibility.
We look forward to high-quality submissions with clear scientific novelty, technological insights, or application potential, collectively advancing this field from fundamental mechanisms to industrial applications.
Dr. Liang Dong
Prof. Dr. Xuyan Zong
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-anonymized 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
- food protein-derived peptides
- flavor formation mechanisms
- peptide-flavor interactions
- sensory evaluation and consumer perception
- bioactive peptides
- taste-active peptides (umami peptides/bitter peptides)
- multi-omics integrative analysis
- food fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis processes
- flavor modulation technologies
- functional food development
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