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Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds in Functional Foods

A Special Issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049) belonging to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1182

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Sebahhattin Zaim University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Interests: vitamins; protein; nutrition; glycemic index; in vitro digestibility; maillard reaction products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional foods have received increased attention in recent years because of their potential contributions to health beyond basic nutrition. Many of these benefits are associated with bioactive compounds naturally present in foods or those formed during processing and storage. Identifying and characterizing these compounds is therefore important to better understand the nutritional value and functional properties of foods.

This Special Issue aims to bring together recent studies focusing on the isolation, identification, and characterization of bioactive compounds found in functional foods. Contributions may include research on vitamins, phenolic compounds, peptides, and other biologically active molecules present in different food matrices. Studies investigating how food processing, formulation, and storage conditions influence these compounds are also welcome.

In addition, manuscripts that use modern analytical techniques, such as chromatography, mass spectrometry, or other advanced methods for the analysis of food components, are encouraged. Research exploring the stability, nutritional relevance, and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds in foods will also be considered. Both original research articles and review papers that contribute to a better understanding of functional food components are invited for submission.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yaman
Guest Editor

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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • functional foods
  • bioactive compounds
  • food bioactives
  • bioaccessibility
  • food composition
  • nutritional compounds
  • vitamins
  • phenolic compounds
  • bioactive peptides
  • food processing
  • food analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 4515 KB  
Article
Metabolite-Centered Evaluation of Plant-Based Substrates: Integrated Profiling of Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) and Neuroactive Compounds with Potential Relevance to the Gut–Brain Axis
by Mustafa Yıldız
Molecules 2026, 31(12), 2073; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31122073 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 760
Abstract
This study presents an integrated metabolite-centered framework for the comparative evaluation of plant-based substrates through the simultaneous profiling of fermentation-associated short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and neuroactive compounds within a single in vitro experimental platform. Unlike conventional studies focusing on individual metabolite classes, the [...] Read more.
This study presents an integrated metabolite-centered framework for the comparative evaluation of plant-based substrates through the simultaneous profiling of fermentation-associated short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and neuroactive compounds within a single in vitro experimental platform. Unlike conventional studies focusing on individual metabolite classes, the present approach combines in vitro gastrointestinal digestion with simplified bacterial fermentation to characterize substrate-dependent metabolic responses under controlled experimental conditions. Concurrent evaluation of SCFA production and neuroactive compound formation enabled multidimensional assessment of fermentation-associated metabolite profiles and their potential biochemical interrelationships. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among substrates in both SCFA production and neuroactive compound formation. Hemp seed flour exhibited the highest acetate concentration (4.67 mg/100 g) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) level (114.00 µg/g), whereas lentil and corn flour showed elevated propionate levels. Chickpea and bulgur produced the highest butyrate concentrations. Among neuroactive compounds, bulgur exhibited the highest dopamine and serotonin levels, while lentil demonstrated a more balanced metabolite profile. Correlation analysis suggested exploratory associations between SCFA production and neuroactive compound formation. A strong positive correlation between acetate and GABA (r = 0.89) indicated potential co-variation between carbohydrate fermentation and neuroactive metabolite formation, whereas divergent dopamine and serotonin patterns suggested substrate-dependent metabolic differences. Functional mapping further classified substrates into SCFA-oriented, neuroactive compound–dominant, and mixed metabolic profile groups. Collectively, these findings support a metabolite-centered framework for comparative assessment of plant-based substrates based on fermentation-associated metabolite profiles obtained under controlled in vitro conditions. Although the simplified two-strain fermentation model does not reproduce the complexity of the human colonic microbiota, the observed substrate-dependent metabolic differences may provide preliminary insights into biochemical outputs potentially relevant to gut–brain axis-associated pathways. Further studies employing complex microbial communities and in vivo validation are required to confirm the physiological relevance of these findings. Full article
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