Exploring the Natural Antioxidants in Foods
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 227
Special Issue Editors
Interests: human nutrition, antioxidant properties of food plant and animal origin, anti-inflammatory/antioxidant properties of plant in animal study
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: functional food; cancer prevention; plant food origin; bioactive compounds
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antioxidants are substances that play a key role in protecting the body from the damaging effects of free radicals, reactive molecules that can damage cells and contribute to the development of many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and ageing. Free radicals are formed as a result of natural metabolic processes and in response to external factors such as pollution, stress, cigarette smoke, or UV radiation.
In food, antioxidants are mainly found in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, green tea, dark chocolate, and wine. The most important antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, polyphenols (including flavonoids), and carotenoids such as beta-carotene. Their presence in the diet neutralises excess free radicals, reducing the risk of tissue damage and inflammation in the body.
The regular consumption of antioxidant-rich foods contributes to overall health. It boosts the body's immunity, aids detoxification, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. A growing body of research suggests that antioxidants acting on cells may also mediate interactions with specific proteins that are key to intracellular signalling cascades, modulating their expression and activity.
In addition to influencing epigenetic mechanisms, these compounds have the ability to modulate the gut microbiota. This is why a diet rich in antioxidants is recommended as a preventive health measure that can slow the ageing process and reduce the risk of many non-communicable diseases.
Articles for this Special Issue, whether research or review, may address a wide range of topics related to the chemistry, biochemistry and biology of plant-derived antioxidants. This focuses on: methods for the determination, variability and efficacy of antioxidants from plant and food sources as well as agro-industrial waste materials; the development of new protocols and methods for the assessment of antioxidant capacity both in vivo and in vitro; clinical and dietary studies on the antioxidant properties of plant secondary metabolites; the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of natural antioxidants; the relationship between antioxidant properties and improved human health.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Ewa Piątkowska
Guest Editor
Dr. Mariola Drozdowska
Dr. Ewelina Piasna-Słupecka
Guest Editor Assistants
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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
- antioxidants
- non-communicable diseases
- vegetables
- fruit
- free radicals
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