Artificial Intelligence Driving Transformative Advances in Food Science and Technology
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 93
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainablee extraction technologies; food process optimization; bioactive food ingredients; agro-industrial by-products; emerging food technologies; data science; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food by-products; phenolic compounds; dietary fiber; antioxidant activity; in vitro digestion; mitochondrial function; inflammation; insulin sensitivity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food science has significantly evolved from its origins, transitioning from a primary focus on food preservation and processing to a multifaceted study that encompasses nutrition, food safety, and sustainability concerns. At the core of this evolution lies the growing importance of understanding food systems at the molecular level, a foundation for advancing innovative solutions. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in a new era of opportunities, enabling breakthroughs that were previously unattainable. AI systems, including machine learning and deep learning, facilitate the analysis of extensive datasets and the recognition of intricate patterns that conventional methods often fail to detect.
The application of AI in food science now spans diverse domains, including the identification and characterization of bioactive compounds, optimization of functional food formulations, and monitoring of chemical and structural changes during processing and storage. Furthermore, AI has proven invaluable for enhancing food safety through rapid detection of contaminants, optimizing resource efficiency across agro-industrial systems, and personalizing nutrition by linking molecular insights with consumer-specific needs. AI also plays a pivotal role in driving sustainability by improving resource utilization, minimizing waste, and enabling the development of innovative solutions such as sustainable food by-products and natural additives. However, despite its transformative potential, the integration of AI into food science is not without challenges. These include the need for robust, high-quality datasets, the complexity of interpreting AI-driven models, and the reluctance of some sectors within the industry to embrace these emerging technologies. As AI continues to advance, it is poised to play a transformative role in food chemistry, facilitating progress in fermentation-driven chemical changes, structure–activity relationship studies, predictive modeling of bioactivity, and beyond. These innovations will pave the way for strategies that enhance food quality, safety, and sustainability, addressing both scientific and societal demands.
This Special Issue seeks to offer a platform for the dissemination of recent research in the burgeoning domain of AI applications in food science, with particular emphasis on topics such as the isolation and characterization of food constituents, AI in regenerative agriculture, and optimization of functional and nutraceutical food formulations. Through this initiative, we hope to foster collaborative advancements that shape the future of food science and technology, driven by AI-inspired innovations.
Dr. Alicia Gil-Ramírez
Dr. Miguel Rebollo-Hernanz
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- food sustainability
- artificial intelligence
- food processes optimization
- functional foods
- food safety
- individualized nutrition
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