Bioavailability of Bioactive Food Compounds

Dear Colleagues,

As the Guest Editors of the Special Issue below, we would like to invite you to contribute a paper that focuses on the “Bioavailability of Bioactive Food Compounds”. The bioactive components present in edible plants, e.g., biologically active proteins, polyphenols, phytosterols, biogenic amines, and carotenoids, demonstrate health benefits through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory effects to enhance immunity. The dietary phytochemicals need to become bioavailable to positively influence the immune system and overall health. The bioavailability of these compounds is critical to understanding their potential health benefits. Many factors affect their solubility and bioavailability, such as compound structure, molecular weight, plant matrix, enzymes, polarity, pH variations, and gut microbiota metabolism. Moreover, thermal processing can significantly impact the bioavailability and absorption of essential nutrients in the human body. Several studies have supported the concept that mechanical homogenization and heat treatments have a positive effect by making compounds more accessible. However, thermal processing can also lead to differential isomerization, oxidative polymerization, and degradation, which affect phytochemical content and the corresponding changes in biological activity. In recent years, non-thermal processing technologies, including high-pressure processing, cold plasma, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound processing, and supercritical carbon dioxide, have been widely studied as alternatives to thermal processing technologies for not only extending the shelf-life but also protecting the nutritional and functional properties of food products. Recently, it has been shown that pulsed electric field processing is an effective method for improving the bioaccessibility or bioavailability of phenolic compounds.

This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics related to the bioavailability of phytochemicals, including (i) the major factors affecting the bioavailability of the bioactive food compounds, (ii) the effects of different physical, chemical, and biocatalytic food processes aimed towards increasing their bioavailability and functional properties, (iii) the effect of food processing on their bioavailability and potential relevance to human health, and (iv) the significance of non-thermal treatment in improving food nutrition. Research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews on the various aspects of plant- and animal-based products are invited for submission.

Prof. Dr. Sylwia Mildner-Szkudlarz
Dr. Maria Barbara Różańska
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-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.