The Importance and Applications of Starches, Gums, Pectin, and Other Polysaccharides in Food
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 113
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cereal food processing; starch; starch modification; starchy foods; puffing; sweet potato; rice flour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polysaccharides are the main constituents of a number of food systems, governing structural stability, sensory attributes, textural properties, and the delivery of bioactive nutrients. Advances and applications of polysaccharides in the food sector now offer opportunities to design food products that are palatable and more beneficial to health, aiming to meet evolving consumer demands. This Special Issue, “The Importance and Applications of Starches, Gums, Pectin, and Other Polysaccharides in Food”, will showcase investigations that bridge the fundamental aspects of polysaccharides with novel applications in formulation, processing, and nutrition of food. We invite contributions that explore the structural, physicochemical, and techno-functional characteristics of polysaccharides, such as their hydration dynamics, multi-scale structures in disperse systems, rheological and interfacial properties, gelation behaviors, and interactions with other food components, as well as investigations that apply these insights to enhance food quality, sustainability, and human wellness.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, protein–polysaccharide complexes, polysaccharide–polyphenolic complexes, the development of food gels (aerogels, hydrogels, oleogels, and bigels), polysaccharides-based delivery systems for bioactive ingredients, plant-based innovations, fat mimetics, food structuring, the design of texture-modified foods for dysphagia, graying populations, and personalized nutrition. In this Special Issue, we aim to compile a collection of articles and review papers that focus on the physicochemical characteristics of food starches, gums, pectin, and other polysaccharides, with an emphasis on unlocking the potential of the structural diversity of polysaccharides to synergize technological innovation, human health benefits, and sustainable resource use in next-gen food systems.
Prof. Dr. Fayin Ye
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
- food polysaccharides
- rheological properties
- texture-modified foods
- food gels
- starches
- pectin
- gums
- nutritional attributes
- delivery carriers
- physicochemical properties
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