Exploring the Antioxidant Potential and Phenolic Diversity of Forest-Derived Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are a vital source of plants for both traditional and modern industrial systems. Research into forest products has been a long tradition for many industrialized countries. Studies on the chemical diversity of forest-derived plants are important because many factors (such as cultivation conditions and technologies, proper collection of raw materials, drying, milling, and storage conditions) influence the amounts and variations of biologically active compounds in forest plants and determine the quality of raw plant material, which determines the quality, efficacy, and safety of products containing herbal ingredients. The quality of these products is also influenced by technological factors, which can also lead to changes in the composition of biologically active compounds; therefore, it is important to assess the influence of these factors as well.

The research on plant antioxidants has a long history. Since the 1990s, the topic of antioxidant-mediated anti-aging has become a popular health-related discussion in developed countries. In the 1960s, scientists extracted a natural antioxidant complex called Pycnogenol from the bark of pine trees along the Bay of Biscay in southern France. After decades of research and development, Pycnogenol has been widely used in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. Since then, research institutions and universities in many countries have been engaged in the study of antioxidants.

This Special Issue solicits research focusing on studies on the chemical diversity of forest-derived plants, phytochemical and antioxidant activity analysis of plant extracts, including but not limited to the identification and quantification of antioxidant components and phenolic compounds in these plants, the exploration of their antioxidant mechanisms, the influence of different extraction and separation methods on antioxidant potential and phenolic diversity, and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of plant extracts in vitro and in vivo.

Furthermore, this Special Issue encourages a targeted search for new ingredients of food, cosmetic, or herbal therapeutic preparations with desired functional properties, assessing their chemical composition and the influence of technological factors on them. To comprehensively explore the antioxidant potential and phenolic diversity of forest-derived plants, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of forest plant resources, and to promote the application of these plants in the fields of food, medicine, and cosmetics.

Dr. Kristina Zymonė
Guest Editor

Dr. Laura Rimkienė
Guest Editor Assistant

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.