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Mechanism and Engineering Research on Processing, Storage and Preservation of...
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Mechanism and Engineering Research on Processing, Storage and Preservation of Fresh Food: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 10509

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Min Zhang

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Interests: fresh food; processing, storage; preservation; fresh food supply chain, packaging; transportation; functionality; safety; freshness
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Danshi Zhu

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Guest Editor
Food Science and Technology, Bohai University, Jinzhou, China
Interests: fruits and vegetables; processing; preservation; fruit juice; fermentation; flavor; stuffing; functionality
Prof. Dr. Jicheng Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Biological and Food Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China
Interests: fresh food; processing storage; food engineering; food drying; food radio frequency processing; food microwave processing; structure function in foods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The policy of expanding domestic demand promotes the quality demand of consumers for fresh processed food, and enterprises can accelerate the research on and development of high-value-added products. On one hand, the fresh food processing industry will further integrate with advanced technology. In the future, fresh food processing will accelerate the integration of production, processing and marketing, use high-quality and innovative technologies to transform traditional industries, and realize waste free processing and multi-level development and utilization‌. On the other hand, with the improvement of residents' living standards and the enhancement of health awareness, consumers' demand for fresh processed products continues to grow. Personalized and diversified needs encourage fresh food processing enterprises and researchers to continue to innovate and develop more flavors, packages and functions‌. Consequently, exploring the novel technologies of processing, storage, and preservation is becoming essential for fresh food. Innovative and promising technologies have been adopted to ensure safe production with changing consumer needs and fresh food health issues. This Special Issue will compile a range of original research and review articles on the latest progress, challenges, and prospects regarding new processing, storage, and freshness-preserving technologies for fresh food.

Prof. Dr. Min Zhang
Prof. Dr. Danshi Zhu
Prof. Dr. Jicheng Xu
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

  • fresh food
  • processing and storage
  • preservation
  • fresh food supply chain and packaging
  • transportation
  • functionality
  • safety
  • freshness

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 5151 KB  
Article
Processing-Induced Changes in Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.): Steaming Versus Air-Frying
by Wanida Pan-utai, Naraporn Phomkaivon and Sarn Settachaimongkon
Foods 2025, 14(21), 3637; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213637 - 24 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1199
Abstract
Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is a rich source of carotenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, and starch that are influenced by thermal processing. This study compared the effects of steaming (15–45 min) and air-frying (5–15 min) on the color, bioactive composition, starch content, and antioxidant properties [...] Read more.
Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is a rich source of carotenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, and starch that are influenced by thermal processing. This study compared the effects of steaming (15–45 min) and air-frying (5–15 min) on the color, bioactive composition, starch content, and antioxidant properties of OFSP peel and flesh to assess processing-induced changes. Unprocessed samples served as the baseline for evaluating percentage and fold changes. Results revealed tissue-specific responses. Steaming preserved flesh brightness (L*, 79) and moderately enhanced carotenoids (0.68 µg/g), anthocyanins (up to 40.5 µg/g in peel), phenolics (2.19–2.27 mg GAE/g), and flavonoids (up to 3.32 mg QE/g). Air-frying induced more pronounced increases in peel bioactives, with carotenoids (4.79 µg/g, 14-fold), phenolics (6.86 mg GAE/g, more than 3-fold), flavonoids (11.75 mg QE/g, more than 20-fold), and transient anthocyanin elevation (61.62 µg/g at 5 min), but prolonged exposure caused degradation in flesh. Starch remained stable in the peel but decreased in the flesh. Antioxidant activity showed similar tissue- and treatment-specific patterns. Steaming preserved structural integrity and bioactive stability, whereas short-duration air-frying maximized peel carotenoids and phenolics. These findings provide insights for optimizing thermal processing to enhance nutritional quality and functional properties in OFSP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanism and Engineering Research on Processing, Storage and Preservation of Fresh Food: 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 7955 KB  
Article
Volatile Compounds and Fatty Acids of Mutton Carrot Filling During Dynamic Steaming Investigated Based on GC-MS and GC-IMS Analyses
by Kaiyan You, Qianyu Li, Ya Wang and Xuehui Cao
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091535 - 27 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1021
Abstract
To investigate the impact of varying steaming durations on the flavor characteristics of mutton and carrot stuffing, dynamic changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fatty acids were analyzed using solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). The [...] Read more.
To investigate the impact of varying steaming durations on the flavor characteristics of mutton and carrot stuffing, dynamic changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fatty acids were analyzed using solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). The results revealed a total of 116 VOCs identified throughout the steaming process, with 73 detected by GC-MS and 44 by GC-IMS. Notably, VOC concentrations were significantly higher at 18–24 min compared to 8–16 min. Additionally, a GC-IMS fingerprint was developed to assess the distribution of VOCs during steaming. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) indicated that 11 compounds, such as ethyl caprylate (B3), linalyl acetate (B6), and 1-nonanal (C1), significantly influenced the flavor characteristics of the mutton and carrot filling. Further analysis demonstrated that stearic acid content reached its lowest point at 20–22 min of steaming, while n-6 and n-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (P/S) peaked at this time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanism and Engineering Research on Processing, Storage and Preservation of Fresh Food: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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46 pages, 2741 KB  
Review
Innovative Technologies Reshaping Meat Industrialization: Challenges and Opportunities in the Intelligent Era
by Qing Sun, Yanan Yuan, Baoguo Xu, Shipeng Gao, Xiaodong Zhai, Feiyue Xu and Jiyong Shi
Foods 2025, 14(13), 2230; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14132230 - 24 Jun 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7630
Abstract
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) technology are driving the transformation of the meat industry from mechanization and automation to intelligence and digitization. This paper provides a systematic review of key technological innovations in this field, including physical technologies (such as [...] Read more.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) technology are driving the transformation of the meat industry from mechanization and automation to intelligence and digitization. This paper provides a systematic review of key technological innovations in this field, including physical technologies (such as smart cutting precision improved to the millimeter level, pulse electric field sterilization efficiency exceeding 90%, ultrasonic-assisted marinating time reduced by 12 h, and ultra-high-pressure processing extending shelf life) and digital technologies (IoT real-time monitoring, blockchain-enhanced traceability transparency, and AI-optimized production decision-making). Additionally, it explores the potential of alternative meat production technologies (cell-cultured meat and 3D bioprinting) to disrupt traditional models. In application scenarios such as central kitchen efficiency improvements (e.g., food companies leveraging the “S2B2C” model to apply AI agents, supply chain management, and intelligent control systems, resulting in a 26.98% increase in overall profits), end-to-end temperature control in cold chain logistics (e.g., using multi-array sensors for real-time monitoring of meat spoilage), intelligent freshness recognition of products (based on deep learning or sensors), and personalized customization (e.g., 3D-printed customized nutritional meat products), these technologies have significantly improved production efficiency, product quality, and safety. However, large-scale application still faces key challenges, including high costs (such as the high investment in cell-cultured meat bioreactors), lack of standardization (such as the absence of unified standards for non-thermal technology parameters), and consumer acceptance (surveys indicate that approximately 41% of consumers are concerned about contracting illnesses from consuming cultured meat, and only 25% are willing to try it). These challenges constrain the economic viability and market promotion of the aforementioned technologies. Future efforts should focus on collaborative innovation to establish a truly intelligent and sustainable meat production system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanism and Engineering Research on Processing, Storage and Preservation of Fresh Food: 2nd Edition)
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