Food Microbiota and Safety: Trends in Detection, Biocontrol, and Biopreservation
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food biotechnology; starter, protective, and probiotics cultures; lactic acid bacteria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food microbiology; microscopy techniques; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); food safety; food preservation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The microbial components of food play a central role in determining both food safety and quality. While foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms pose major challenges to public health and the food industry, increasing attention is being paid to complex food microbiota and its potential exploitation for biocontrol and biopreservation purposes. Recent advances in food microbiology and biotechnology highlight the need for integrated approaches capable of monitoring, controlling, and positively modulating microbial ecosystems along the food chain.
This Special Issue aims to provide an updated overview of emerging trends in food microbiota studies, with particular emphasis on innovative detection methods, microbial ecology, and strategies to enhance food safety through biocontrol and biopreservation.
Contributions addressing advanced microbiological, molecular, and analytical tools for the detection and characterization of microorganisms in foods are welcome, as well as studies focusing on interactions between food microbiota, pathogens, and spoilage microorganisms.
In line with the One Health framework, the Special Issue also encourages contributions that consider the interconnectedness between food, animal, and human health, particularly in relation to foodborne and zoonotic microorganisms. Particular interest will be given to research exploring the use of starter, protective, and probiotic cultures, as well as emerging biopreservation strategies, including edible and active systems incorporating natural antimicrobial compounds or microorganisms, provided that their effects on food microbiota and microbial safety are clearly addressed. Studies on microbial biofilms and innovative strategies to mitigate microbiological risks in traditional and novel food matrices are also encouraged.
By bringing together multidisciplinary contributions, this Special Issue aims to highlight innovative solutions and research trends that support the development of safer, higher quality, and more sustainable food systems.
Prof. Elena Sorrentino
Prof. Lucia Maiuro
Prof. Alessandra Mazzeo
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. Life 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.
Keywords
- microbial ecology
- detection methods
- starter and protective cultures
- foodborne pathogens
- spoilage microorganisms
- biofilms
- probiotics
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
