Biotechnological Production from Agro-Foods and Food By-Products
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Biotechnology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2026 | Viewed by 960
Special Issue Editors
Interests: valorization of agri-food waste; extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds; emerging extraction technologies; encapsulation in biopolymer matrices; development of functional and value-added food products; sustainable food processing
Interests: Her research focuses on advanced food-science analytics (UV–Vis spectrophotometry and enzymatic assays) applied to the quality control and authentication of foods, with particular emphasis on dairy products. She investigates the valorisation of agro-industrial by-products to improve sustainability and consumer health within a circular-economy framework. She develops and optimises advanced extraction methods for bioactive compounds—particularly ultrasound-assisted extraction of carotenoids from agri-food waste—and designs functional ingredients, integrating bioactives into innovative food products.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biologically active compound extraction and characterization; degradation and inactivation kinetics of biological active compounds; encapsulation techniques; food authentication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The agro-food sector generates substantial quantities of by-products and residues throughout processing, many of which remain underutilized despite their rich content of valuable bioactive compounds, nutrients and functional ingredients. In recent years, growing concerns regarding sustainability, food security and environmental impact have driven increased interest in the biotechnological valorization of agro-foods and food by-products. Modern biotechnological approaches offer innovative, efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to convert these materials into high-value products, thereby supporting circular economy principles.
This Special Issue focuses on new developments in biotechnological methods used for raw materials from agriculture and food waste, such as green extraction technologies, fermentation, encapsulation, enzyme-assisted processes, microbial bioconversion and new bioengineering techniques. Emphasis is placed on the recovery and application of bioactive compounds, functional ingredients, biopolymers, natural colorants, the formulation of value-added food products and nutraceuticals, as well as the improvement of process efficiency, product stability and scalability.
We invite original research articles, reviews and short communications that address innovative biotechnological solutions contributing to sustainable food systems, waste reduction and value-added product development. By bringing together interdisciplinary research, this Special Issue seeks to foster knowledge exchange and promote practical applications that bridge science, industry and sustainability goals.
We look forward to your valuable contributions.
Dr. Florina Stoica
Dr. Roxana Nicoleta Rațu
Prof. Dr. Gabriela Rapeanu
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-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
- agro-food by-products
- biotechnology
- valorization
- circular economy
- bioactive compounds
- green extraction
- sustainable food systems
- food waste utilization
- functional ingredients
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
