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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Bioactivity and Nutritional Quality of Horticultural Crops
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Bioactivity and Nutritional Quality of Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Processed Horticultural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2026 | Viewed by 468

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhihua Geng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
Interests: food quality and safety; food technology; agricultural product processing; food processing; Processing and storage of agricultural products
Dr. Estefanía Valero Cases

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group on Quality and Safety, Food Technology Department, Miguel Hernández University, 03312 Orihuela, Spain
Interests: revalorization of vegetal by-products; vegetable metabolites; development of plant based functional food; nutritional and functional quality of vegetables and plant based products; probiotic microorganism; prebiotic; fermentation; microencapsulation; antioxidants; bioavailability; in vitro and in vivo studies; sensory analysis of foods; functional foods; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Bioactivity and Nutritional Quality of Horticultural Crops,” focuses on advancing our understanding of the bioactive compounds, nutritional profiles, and functional properties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other horticultural products. We welcome original research, reviews, and short communications exploring topics such as the biosynthesis, accumulation, and regulation of bioactive molecules (e.g., polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins); the impact of genetic, agronomic, postharvest, and processing factors on nutritional quality; and the evaluation of health-promoting effects (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or metabolic activities). Contributions bridging agricultural practices with human nutrition will be particularly valued, with the aim of informing strategies to enhance the nutritional value of horticultural crops and their role in disease prevention and public health.

Dr. Zhihua Geng
Dr. Estefanía Valero Cases
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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

  • horticultural crops
  • bioactive compounds
  • nutritional quality
  • functional properties
  • health-promoting effects
  • postharvest processing
  • agricultural practices

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 2620 KB  
Article
Integrated Analysis of Morphological and Physicochemical Traits in “Liuyuehong” Soft-Seed Pomegranate Fruit
by Shubin Zhang, Shuaishuai Sha, Quanlin Cui, Jin Zhang, Fenfen Yang, Wei Lin and Yuansong Xiao
Horticulturae 2025, 11(11), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11111369 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 329
Abstract
The grain-level heterogeneity of fruit morphological characteristics significantly determines their sensory performance and intrinsic quality, providing a quantitative basis for commercial grading. This study utilized “Liuyuehong” soft-seeded pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) as experimental material. Fruits were classified into three size grades based [...] Read more.
The grain-level heterogeneity of fruit morphological characteristics significantly determines their sensory performance and intrinsic quality, providing a quantitative basis for commercial grading. This study utilized “Liuyuehong” soft-seeded pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) as experimental material. Fruits were classified into three size grades based on individual fresh weight: large (107–125 g), medium (74–92 g), and small (47–67 g). Fresh weights of whole fruits, exocarp, and outer seed coat were measured for each grade, followed by analysis of key quality indicators, including seed count, 100-seed weight, Brix degrees, pH, single-seed dimensions, vitamin C content, and edible fraction. Subsequently, correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and the entropy weight-TOPSIS method were employed to evaluate the integrated quality of different fruit grades comprehensively. The results indicate that the fruit morphological characteristics of “Liuyuehong” soft-seed pomegranate have a significant impact on its sensory and physicochemical qualities. (1) Large and medium fruits are superior to small fruits in terms of single fruit size, exocarp color uniformity, seed color, and mouthfeel, with large fruits having the highest comprehensive evaluation score (0.7). (2) Mouthfeel is correlated with the number of seeds in the fruit; the number of seeds in large and small fruits shows a significant negative correlation with Brix degrees (p < 0.05). (3) Small fruits exhibit greater individual variation within the group, with outliers and a tendency for late maturation. In conclusion, the fruit morphological characteristics of “Liuyuehong” soft-seed pomegranate significantly affect seed maturity and quantity, thereby determining the fruit’s sensory quality and physicochemical properties. The results indicate that fruits with a single- weight below 70 g commonly exhibit delayed development. It is therefore recommended to raise the lower threshold for commercial grading to above 75 g to enhance overall fruit quality and market consistency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactivity and Nutritional Quality of Horticultural Crops)
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