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Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods: From Food Preservation to Health...
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Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods: From Food Preservation to Health Benefits

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 July 2026 | Viewed by 3363

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Adriano Costa de Camargo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Nutrition and Food Technology Institute, University of Chile, Santiago 7830490, Chile
Interests: natural antioxidants; bioactive compounds; functional foods; food processing and preservation; the valorization of agro-industrial by-products; microbiome-metabolomics; gut microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global demand for functional foods is rapidly increasing, driven by a growing consumer focus on health, wellness, and disease prevention. At the heart of this trend are bioactive compounds, natural or processed constituents—such as polyphenols, peptides, carotenoids, and dietary fibers—that provide physiological benefits beyond basic nutrition. Historically, many of these compounds have been utilized for their inherent preservative properties, inhibiting oxidation and microbial growth to enhance food safety and shelf-life. Nowadays, scientific research is increasingly revealing their dual role: not only do they serve as natural agents for food preservation, but they also deliver significant health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, and gut-modulating effects.

This Special Issue aims to compile high-quality original research and review articles that explore the multifaceted roles of bioactive compounds in functional foods, spanning from their application in food preservation to their mechanisms of action in delivering health benefits.

Dr. Adriano Costa de Camargo
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 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-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 compounds
  • functional foods
  • food stability and shelf-life
  • natural antioxidants
  • antimicrobial activity
  • gut microbiota
  • extraction technologies
  • bioavailability
  • encapsulation
  • sustainable food systems

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

23 pages, 765 KB  
Review
Microbial Fermentation as a Tool to Improve the Antioxidant and Functional Value of Milk Products
by Sion Seol and JuDong Yeo
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061024 - 15 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 773
Abstract
Microbial fermentation is attracting attention as a key process in reconstructing the profile of functional components in foods. This review summarizes the main mechanisms by which microbial fermentation generates antioxidants and functional compounds in fermented dairy products. In particular, we focus on (i) [...] Read more.
Microbial fermentation is attracting attention as a key process in reconstructing the profile of functional components in foods. This review summarizes the main mechanisms by which microbial fermentation generates antioxidants and functional compounds in fermented dairy products. In particular, we focus on (i) the production of bioactive peptides driven by fermentation-induced proteolysis, (ii) modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis associated with shifts in metabolite composition, and (iii) the remodeling of organic acids, fatty acids, and other low-molecular-weight metabolites. We also discussed an analytical framework for evaluating antioxidant function in various analytical methods such as the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, as well as cell-based measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS)/nitric oxide (NO) and determining oxidative damage in animal models. Overall, the antioxidant functionality of fermented dairy products should be understood not merely as an increase in radical-scavenging capacity but as the outcome of fermentation-driven molecular remodeling and physiological regulatory effects. This review defines fermented dairy products as functional foods, highlighting the need for an omics-based approach in future fermented food studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods: From Food Preservation to Health Benefits)
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25 pages, 3400 KB  
Review
The Role of Health Claims on Consumer Behavior and Food Choice: A Narrative Review
by Helena F. Martins Tavares, Geni Rodrigues Sampaio, Adriano Costa de Camargo and Elizabeth Aparecida Ferraz da Silva Torres
Foods 2026, 15(4), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15040773 - 20 Feb 2026
Viewed by 2129
Abstract
Data suggests that consumers are increasingly aware of the nutritional composition of foods, and the presence of health claims is considered a differentiating factor in the purchase of foods and beverages. We analyzed literature on health claims and their impact on consumer behavior, [...] Read more.
Data suggests that consumers are increasingly aware of the nutritional composition of foods, and the presence of health claims is considered a differentiating factor in the purchase of foods and beverages. We analyzed literature on health claims and their impact on consumer behavior, using different databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed). According to the bibliometric analyses of 423 articles, research on health claims presents distinct subareas such as health, marketing, regulation, public health, and behavior. Data from several studies, involving 27,813 participants from several countries, are summarized. The health claims included: cardiovascular, bone, muscle, metabolic, digestive, eye, along with overall health and wellness. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, cognitive and mental performance, immune system support, and disease prevention were also addressed. Our resulting narrative review indicates that health claims could have a positive influence on consumer behavior, especially about the perception of value, purchase intention, and willingness to pay for foods that feature this type of communication. Although health claims on foods have a significant potential to positively influence consumer-purchasing behavior, their impact is dependent on multiple individual and contextual factors, such as consumers’ health status and knowledge on nutrition, price, taste, access, and consumers’ perception of the brand. Understanding the relationship between health claims and consumer behavior and choices is essential to developing effective regulations, public policies, and communication strategies to encourage healthier food choices and influence the food industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods: From Food Preservation to Health Benefits)
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