Phytochemical Insights into Primary and Secondary Metabolites of Aromatic, Medicinal, and Food Plants: Regulation, Stress Response, and Bioactive Potential
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 2986
Special Issue Editors
Interests: extraction techniques; GCMS; natural products; phytochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: edible flowers; ornamental plants; postharvest; plant physiology; bioactive compounds; volatile organic compounds; in vitro tissue culture and plant propagation; nutraceuticals; functional food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants produce a variety of low-molecular-weight organic metabolites, characterized by diverse chemical structures and a wide range of biological activities. Primary metabolites (PMs) are essential for plant sustenance and growth, while secondary metabolites (SMs) play crucial roles in non-vital but important functions such as plant protection against abiotic and biotic stresses, attracting pollinators (through color, aroma, and taste), plant–plant competition, and plant–microorganism symbiosis. Aromatic, medicinal, and food plants have long been recognized as key sources of SMs and are extensively utilized in the production of drugs, perfumes, fragrances, natural dyes, spices, food flavorings, preservatives, and natural ingredients in cosmetics or dietary supplements.
Currently, there is a growing focus on high-performance identification technologies for plant SMs, focusing on how external factors influence their induction and regulation. This also includes the profiling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemotaxonomy, functional foods, and metabolomics. Particular attention must be given to biotic and abiotic stresses, highly relevant topics which are closely tied to climate change.
This Special Issue invites research on the phytochemical composition of both cultivated and wild aromatic, medicinal, and food plants, with an emphasis on their aromatic profile, phytonutritional content, and plant responses to various stressors. Submissions covering innovative methodologies for the extraction, isolation, and identification of plant SMs, their bioactive properties, and industrial applications are also welcome.
Dr. Basma Najar
Dr. Ilaria Marchioni
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 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. Plants 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
- volatile organic compounds
- essential oils
- primary and secondary metabolites
- functional food
- nutraceuticals
- bioactive properties
- phytochemistry
- metabolomics
- plant stress response
- aromatic plants
- medicinal plants
- food plants
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