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Foods
Special Issues
Secondary Metabolites from Fruit and Vegetable: Characterization, Bioactivity and Intake
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Secondary Metabolites from Fruit and Vegetable: Characterization, Bioactivity and Intake

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 2106

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lubna Ahmed

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Animal Health, School of Health and Science, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, A91K584 Dundalk, Ireland
Interests: sustainable bioactives extraction; biochemistry; valorization; new product development and microbiology; sensory evaluation of food and beverage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mohammad Hossain

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemist III, The State Laboratory, Backweston Laboratory Campus, W23 VW2C Celbridge, Ireland
Interests: extraction of antioxidant phytochemicals; anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties of phytochemicals; valorization of low-value industrial by-products; application of various separation techniques to purify bioactive compounds for phyto-pharmaceutical and functional food industries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Secondary metabolites, which include phenolic compounds, steroids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phytoalexins, and phenanthrenes derived from fruits and vegetables, are diverse in their chemical nature and functionality. Over 50,000 secondary metabolites have been discovered in the plant kingdom. A range of beneficial health properties such as antioxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, and antimutagenic properties, among others, have been attributed to these compounds in a large number of studies published in the last two decades.  Interest in new natural bioactive compounds, while enhancing the potentials of the existing ones through synthetic modifications, has been increasing recently. Naturally, focus has been given to extraction, screening for bioactivity in vitro and in vivo, mechanisms of action, synergism and antagonism among the compounds, chemical characterizations, and implications on health following regular intake of these compounds as part of a balanced diet. The current Special Issue is aimed at providing a platform to accumulate research findings on the topics mentioned above by esteemed researchers from all over the world.

Dr. Lubna Ahmed
Dr. Mohammad Hossain
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

  • secondary metabolites
  • extraction
  • bioactivity
  • characterization
  • health
  • fruits and vegetables
  • dietary intake

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4892 KiB  
Article
Effect of Planting Systems on the Physicochemical Properties and Bioactivities of Strawberry Polysaccharides
by Qiuqiu Zhang, Renshuai Huang, Guangjing Chen, Fen Guo and Yan Hu
Foods 2025, 14(2), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020238 - 14 Jan 2025
Viewed by 793
Abstract
Suitable planting systems are critical for the physicochemical and bioactivities of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) polysaccharides (SPs). In this study, SPs were prepared through hot water extraction, and the differences in physicochemical characteristics and bioactivities between SPs derived from elevated matrix [...] Read more.
Suitable planting systems are critical for the physicochemical and bioactivities of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) polysaccharides (SPs). In this study, SPs were prepared through hot water extraction, and the differences in physicochemical characteristics and bioactivities between SPs derived from elevated matrix soilless planting strawberries (EP-SP) and those from and conventional soil planting strawberries (GP-SP) were investigated. A higher extraction yield was observed for EP-SP (5.88%) than for GP-SP (4.67%), and slightly higher values were measured for the average molecular weight (632.10 kDa vs. 611.88 kDa) and total sugar content (39.38% vs. 34.92%) in EP-SP. In contrast, a higher protein content (2.12% vs. 1.65%) and a more ordered molecular arrangement were exhibited by GP-SP. Monosaccharide composition analysis revealed that EP-SP contained higher levels of rhamnose (12.33%) and glucose (49.29%), whereas GP-SP was richer in galactose (11.06%) and galacturonic acid (19.12%). Thermal analysis indicated only minor differences in decomposition temperatures (approximately 225–226 °C) and thermal stability between the samples. However, GP-SP showed a higher enthalpy change (ΔHg = 18.74 J/g) compared to EP-SP (13.93 J/g). Biological activity assays revealed that GP-SP generally exerted stronger non-enzymatic glycation inhibition at both early and final stages (IC50: 7.47 mg/mL vs. 7.82 mg/mL and 11.18 mg/mL vs. 11.87 mg/mL, respectively), whereas EP-SP was more effective against intermediate α-dicarbonyl compounds (maximum inhibition of 75.32%). Additionally, GP-SP exerted superior α-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 = 2.4583 mg/mL), in line with kinetic and fluorescence quenching analyses showing a higher enzyme–substrate complex binding affinity (Kis = 1.6682 mg/mL; Ka = 5.1352 × 105 M−1). Rheological measurements demonstrated that EP-SP solutions exhibited a pronounced increase in apparent viscosity at higher concentrations (reaching 3477.30 mPa·s at 0.1 s−1 and 70 mg/mL) and a stronger shear-thinning behavior, while GP-SP showed a comparatively lower viscosity and lower network order. These findings suggest that different planting systems significantly affect both the molecular structures and functionalities of SPs, with GP-SP demonstrating enhanced hypoglycemic and anti-glycation properties. It is therefore recommended that suitable planting systems be selected to optimize the functionality of plant-derived polysaccharides for potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Secondary Metabolites from Fruit and Vegetable: Characterization, Bioactivity and Intake)
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18 pages, 2752 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Analysis of Flavonoids and Coumarins from Fingered Citron in Different Growth Periods and Their Regulatory Effects on Oxidative Stress
by Tao Tan, Man Xu, Xianlong Hong, Zhenyuan Li, Jiangnan Li, Bining Jiao and Xijuan Zhao
Foods 2025, 14(2), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020180 - 9 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 840
Abstract
Twenty-two coumarins and twenty-six flavonoids were quantitated in fingered citron in different growth periods. Limettin was the top coumarin, and diosmin was the highest flavonoid, followed by hesperidin. Antioxidant evaluation by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP indicated extracts of fingered citron in three growth [...] Read more.
Twenty-two coumarins and twenty-six flavonoids were quantitated in fingered citron in different growth periods. Limettin was the top coumarin, and diosmin was the highest flavonoid, followed by hesperidin. Antioxidant evaluation by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP indicated extracts of fingered citron in three growth periods all showed good antioxidant activity, which was positively correlated with the concentration of extracts. The oxidative stress model of RAW264.7 cells indicated extracts from fingered citron effectively reduced the contents of NO, MDA, and ROS in cells and increased the activity of SOD, thereby alleviating cell damage. The antioxidant capacity of fingered citron in November was the highest, followed by July and September. And there was a significantly positive correlation between the total flavonoid content and the antioxidant capacity. Diosmin, hesperidin, and neohesperidin were the main contributors to antioxidation. This study has significance for utilization of fingered citron germplasm resources and development of related functional products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Secondary Metabolites from Fruit and Vegetable: Characterization, Bioactivity and Intake)
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