The Popularity of Essential Oils and Hydrolates/Hydrosols in the Food Industry
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 12
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food; antimicrobial; essential oils
Interests: alternatives proteins; enzymes; functionalization and modification of proteins; proteins-based o/w emulsion, gels, foams; oleogelse; plant-based meat and dairy analogues
Interests: microbiological food safety; mushroom cultivation; extraction methods; examination of bioactive potential of selected culinary/medicinally mushrooms; study of biofilm formation in food industry and possible aspects of prevention and elimination of biofilms (including the influence of mushroom extracts on biofilms)
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Essential oils have a long history of use within the scientific community. The beneficial effects of essential oils as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents are promising for food safety, in addition to their well-known capability to improve flavour, odour, and colour when added to foods. Cutting-edge analytical techniques are employed to uncover the complex composition of essential oils and their interaction with food components. The innovations in the fields of food shelf-life and active packaging involve the application of essential oils into films and coatings. Recently, hydrolates/hydrosols, as by-products of essential oil distillation, have been receiving increasing attention from researchers. Hydrolates/hydrosols contain a small amount of essential oils and have possible applications based on their antimicrobial properties and as flavourings.
This Special Issue, entitled “The Popularity of Essential Oils and Hydrolates/Hydrosols in the Food Industry”, welcomes the submission of the original research articles and critical reviews related to the scientifically proven properties of essential oils and hydrolates, as well as their influences on the quality, safety, and shelf-life extension of food.
This Special Issue aims to compile various views on essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols and their present and prospective applications in the food industry. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols;
- Composition of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols related to their prospective application in the food industry;
- Adulteration and contamination of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols;
- Interaction of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols with food components;
- Incorporation of essential oils in edible coatings and packaging materials;
- Application of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols in food flavouring;
- Preservation of stored food based on bioactive properties of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols;
- Development of new food products based on the use of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols;
- Harmful effects of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols (toxicity, overuse, side effects);
- Optimisation of the use of essential oils and hydrolates/hydrosols in the food industry.
Dr. Dragica Đurđević-Milošević
Dr. Jovana Glusac
Prof. Dr. Anita S. Klaus
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
- antimicrobial
- antioxidant
- edible coatings
- essential oils
- flavour
- food
- hydrolates/hydrosols
- safety
- shelf life
- toxicity
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