Nutritional Components of Non-Animal Origin Foods: Structure, Synthesis, Functions and Mechanisms—2nd Edition
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027
Special Issue Editors
Interests: natural products; nutrition intervention; pharmacological properties; health risk assessment; nuclear receptors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food science; food chemistry; fermented food; new resource food; phytochemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Following the successful completion of the firedition, this secoedition continues to explore the scientific foundations and emerging advances related to nutritional components in foods of non‑animal origin. Cereals, nuts, fruits, vegetables, algae, fungi, and fermented foods contain a wide range of macro‑ and micronutrients, as well as functional bioactive compounds that play essential roles in human health, wellness maintenance, and disease prevention.
As global dietary patterns evolve and the demand for plant-based nutrition increases, comprehensive studies on the formation, regulation, transformation, and health impacts of these nutritional components remain crucial. In this second edition, we place renewed emphasis on cutting-edge discoveries, interdisciplinary approaches, and innovative technologies that enhance our understanding of nutrition from non‑animal food sources.
This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Formation, composition, synthesis, and regulatory mechanisms of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids) in food materials;
- Structure, synthesis pathways, and regulation of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) and bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, phytosterols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and polyphenols;
- Chemical properties, functional characteristics, and medicinal value of non‑animal food materials, particularly those with both nutritional and therapeutic relevance;
- Mechanisms of action of plant‑derived nutrients and bioactive compounds in health maintenance and disease prevention or intervention;
- Biofortification strategies—biotechnological and non‑biotechnological—for enhancing the nutritional quality of plant-based food sources;
- Food processing methods aimed at improving nutritional value, bioavailability, and phytochemical stability.
The 2nd edition aims to further advance scientific knowledge in plant-based nutrition and provide a high-quality platform for researchers working at the interface of food science, nutrition, chemistry, and health sciences.
Prof. Dr. Jie Zhang
Prof. Dr. Tiehua Zhang
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. 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
- non-animal origin foods
- nutritional components
- bioactive compounds
- human diseases
- health benefits
- action mechanism
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