Announcements

Conference: XXII EuroFoodChem Congress
Date: 14–16 June 2023
Place: Belgrade, Serbia

MDPI will be attending the XXII EuroFoodChem Congress, which will be held from 14 to 16 June 2023 in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade.

This important international conference in the field of food chemistry is organized by the Food Chemistry Division of EuChemS and the Serbian Chemical Society, with support from the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. It will cover the major scientific themes of food composition, quality, and safety; food sustainability, including byproducts’ valorization; novel foods; food and health, functional foods and ingredients; chemical reactions and interactions of food components; chemical changes in food under processing and storage; food adulteration, authenticity, and traceability; novel methods for food chemistry; and food contaminants. In addition to abstract presentations and lectures by world-renowned speakers, this conference will offer a variety of networking options. EuroFoodChem is an excellent opportunity for initiating or strengthening cooperation and knowledge.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Foods;
• Antioxidants;
• Dairy;
• Nutraceuticals;
• Sustainability;
• CIMB;
• Beverages;
• BioChem;
• Hygiene;
• AppliedChem.

Please do not hesitate to reach out (foods@mdpi.com) if you plan on attending this conference. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you might have.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://xxiieurofoodchem.com/.

On 7 April 2023—World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) will observe its 75th anniversary. In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded the WHO to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable, so that everyone, everywhere, can attain the highest level of health and well-being. The WHO’s 75th anniversary is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved quality of life over the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow. In order to encourage everyone to understand health and pay attention to health, we have also curated a list of publications on topics related to universal health coverage, healthy diet, and mental health. We also want to remind everyone that all research published in MDPI journals is available in an open access format, allowing practitioners, policy makers, and people around the world to access the latest scientific knowledge to build upon and share. Although we still have a long way to go to achieve universal health, this day also provides an opportunity to celebrate the progress made and inspire further action toward a more just and equitable world. Join us on a journey at MDPI to achieve Health for All.

• The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet as a Predictor of Weight Loss after a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) in Women with Overweight and Obesity

  Antioxidants 2023, 12(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12010018

• Effectiveness of Non-Contact Dietary Coaching in Adults with Diabetes or Prediabetes Using a Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Healthcare 2023, 11(2), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11020252

• The Association between Advanced Liver Fibrosis and Mortality Is Modified by Dietary Quality among Korean Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with Mortality Data

  Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1501; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061501

• Physical Exercise and Diet: Regulation of Gut Microbiota to Prevent and Treat Metabolic Disorders to Maintain Health

  Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1539; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061539

• Modelling and Prediction of the Spread of COVID-19 in Cameroon and Assessing the Governmental Measures (March–September 2020)

  COVID 2021, 1(3), 622-644; https://doi.org/10.3390/covid1030052

• SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers of Trieste (North-Eastern Italy), 1 October 2020–7 February 2022: Occupational Risk and the Impact of the Omicron Variant

  Viruses 2022, 14(8), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14081663

• Vaccination Coverage during Childhood and Adolescence among Undergraduate Health Science Students in Greece

  Children 2022, 9(10), 1553; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101553

• Determinants of Equity in Coverage of Measles-Containing Vaccines in Wales, UK, during the Elimination Era

  Vaccines 2023, 11(3), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030680

• Sex Differences in Substance Use, Prevalence, Pharmacological Therapy, and Mental Health in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  Brain Sci. 2022, 12(5), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050590

• Impact on Students of the Act–Belong–Commit Mentally Healthy Schools Framework

  Children 2023, 10(3), 548; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030548

• Psychological Health and Drugs: Data-Driven Discovery of Causes, Treatments, Effects, and Abuses

  Toxics 2023, 11(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030287

• Characterizing Touch Discrimination Impairment from Pooled Stroke Samples Using the Tactile Discrimination Test: Updated Criteria for Interpretation and Brief Test Version for Use in Clinical Practice Settings

  Brain Sci. 2023, 13(4), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040533

As a leading open access publisher, MDPI provides scholars with a high-quality and rich academic exchange platform by continuously expanding into new and exciting research areas.

In December 2022, MDPI launched five new journals, covering multiple subjects such as life sciences, biology, medicine and pharmacology, social sciences and humanities. These new journals are being edited by established scholars across the world.

If you are interested in creating more open access journals with us to publish cutting-edge research, please send your journal proposal application to newjournal-committee@mdpi.com.

MDPI is pleased to announce that we now display the co-authors’ email addresses in addition to the corresponding author’s email address on the webpage of published papers, protected by Captcha. For more information about this change, please visit the journal’s instructions for authors page. 

We believe this change will facilitate academic discussions and advance our cause of open science and research. The corresponding authors are responsible for communicating with their co-authors and indicating in our system (https://susy.mdpi.com/) if co-authors would prefer for their email addresses not to be displayed.

On 9 February 2023, Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics, added the Preprint Citation Index to the Web of Science platform, streamlining the research process by allowing researchers to locate and link to preprints alongside other trusted content in the database.

The Preprint Citation Index will act as a bridge to connect cutting-edge preprints with peer-reviewed journal articles published within the Web of Science Core Collection. Alerts can be easily set to monitor new research across several repositories and authors will also be able to include preprints on their Web of Science Research Profile to more accurately display their various research outputs.

As of its launch, the Preprint Citation Index will provide nearly two million preprints from various repositories, including MDPI’s own Preprints.org.

MDPI's Preprints Platform – Preprints.org

To advance Open Science and the fast dissemination of research, MDPI offers researchers a free multidisciplinary preprint platform. Preprints.org accepts submissions from all research areas and offers authors high visibility, permanent archiving, article-level Metrics and immediately citable content by assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to all preprints.

During submission to any MDPI journal, authors have the option to share their research as a preprint. After an initial screening, the manuscript is available online in 48 hours or less. Once online, preprints can be downloaded, shared, commented on, and cited, providing authors maximum visibility.

We invite you to join the ranks of the over 100k researchers using Preprints.org and share your research.

For more information, please visit Preprints.org.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the “Food Hygiene and Safety” Section in Hygiene (ISSN: 2673-947X).

Dr. Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez undertook a degree in biological science and in food science and Technology from the University of Cordoba in 1999 and 2002, respectively. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Córdoba (2007), which dealt with quantitative microbiological risk assessment and cross contamination in foods. He has published more than 100 articles in the most prestigious international food microbiology journals and several books concerning predictive microbiology in foods. He has been involved in several research projects at a national and international level, conducting quantitative risk assessment studies and investigating cross contamination. Due to his expertise, he has participated as a scientific advisor in several expert panels, in the Spanish Food Safety Agency and as a Risk Assessment Expert of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) providing scientific opinions and reports. He is a member of the International Food Protection Association and the Spanish Society of Microbiology. He has also taught courses in predictive microbiology, and he is an Associate Professor of food microbiology and hygiene at the University of Cordoba (Spain). 

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and Open Access publishing: 

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?
Hygiene has always been a prime concern for human communities throughout history. Indeed, improvements in public health and disease prevention and control have been concomitant to society’s progress. The journal Hygiene has an outstanding mission which is promoting a healthier society and improving public health through a better and deeper scientific knowledge on the mechanisms, factors and practices that are determinant in disease control and prevention.

2. What is your vision for the Section?
The main vision for the Section “Food Hygiene” is to offer scientific community a rigorous scientific platform that publishes high-quality interdisciplinary and “holistic” research in food safety, putting the spotlight on the current challenges in the food sector and, more importantly, providing science-based solutions for improving public health.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
Food hygiene is a relevant component of public health and human welfare. However, it also holds a two-way nature as it can be a transmission vehicle of several hazards while it can also be a part of the solution to several chronic diseases. The fast growth of modern societies, the increasing food industry, and the adoption of new practices and processes in food manufacturing and distribution can disrupt this equilibrium and brings new food safety challenges to the sector, through unknown hazards and risk factors. In addition, the more intense contact between natural habitats and humans as a consequence of the industrialization and human population growth should be considered in food hygiene by taking a One Health perspective.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?
Open Access models will help to make more accessible data and scientific discoveries to food industry, academia and governments in the field of food hygiene, providing these sectors with science-based solutions to improve food safety and human welfare. 

We warmly welcome Dr. Fernando Pérez-Rodríguez in his role as Section Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to him leading Hygiene to achieve more milestones.

The Hygiene (ISSN: 2673-947X) editorial team is pleased to announce the launch of a new Section, “Food Hygiene and Safety”. The journal Section on food hygiene covers all aspects related to food hygiene and food safety. It encompasses any research or review on biological and chemical hazards present in food environments with consumer health implications. This Section puts special emphasis on the analysis of the impact of novel and conventional food hygiene interventions and food safety policies from a multidisciplinary and One Health perspective. Several topics are within the scope of the Section, such as the study of the response of foodborne pathogens in foods, emergent and zoonotic foodborne pathogens, natural toxins, microbial resistance, xenobiotic pollutants and allergens, food safety educational programs, and the use of digital solutions for food control and food traceability.

Keywords:

• predictive microbiology;
• food risk assessment;
• foodborne disease investigations;
• incidence of foodborne pathogens throughout the food chain;
• emerging foodborne pathogens;
• performance of good hygiene practices;
• food quality and safety protocols;
• emerging food processing technology for food safety;
• novel food preservatives;
• food process control;
• food hygiene policies;
• food hygiene in healthcare settings;
• food safety educational programs;
• food toxicology;
• omics for food hygiene;
• digital solutions for food management systems;
• food safety from a One Health perspective. 

We are currently recruiting Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for this Section. If you are an active researcher in this field and are passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, please contact us at hygiene@mdpi.com. Alternatively, you may wish to submit your work directly via the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=hygiene.

Hygiene Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.