Food Gel-Based Systems for Efficient Delivery of Bioactive Ingredients: Design to Application
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 567
Special Issue Editors
Interests: molecular structure; innovative food processing technology; food physical properties; packing material; food freshness preservation; gels
Interests: anthocyanins; non-thermal processing; juice; enzyme; fruit and vegetable processing; quality; antioxidant activity; gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food gels have become highly versatile platforms for encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release of bioactive ingredients in functional foods. Their tunable structures, responsiveness to environmental conditions, and compatibility with diverse biopolymers make them promising candidates for improving the stability and bioavailability of sensitive compounds such as vitamins, polyphenols, probiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the design, characterization, and application of food gel-based delivery systems. We welcome original research and comprehensive reviews that address fundamental structuring strategies, microstructure–function relationships, and release mechanisms, as well as studies demonstrating the performance of gel systems in real food matrices. Contributions that explore technological, sensory, safety, and scale-up considerations are also encouraged.
Topics of interest include:
- Innovative design and fabrication of food gels (e.g., emulsion gels, double-network gels, hybrid and particulate gels);
- Encapsulation, protection, and controlled release of bioactive ingredients;
- In vitro and in vivo evaluation of bioavailability and bioefficacy;
- Effects of gel systems on sensory attributes, quality, and shelf life;
- Applications in dairy, meat, beverage, bakery, and other food sectors;
- Industrial implementation, safety assessment, and regulatory aspects.
We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.
Dr. Yongshuai Ma
Prof. Dr. Linyan Zhou
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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. Gels 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 2100 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 gels
- controlled release
- encapsulation
- bioactive ingredients
- functional foods
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