Food Biochemistry and Health: Recent Developments and Perspectives

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Process Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 2766

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: food biochemistry; food composition; nutrients; healthy diets functional foods; novel foods; food supplements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Society's growing concern for health has led to a worldwide increase in interest in proper nutrition. In recent years, much research has been directed towards studying the biochemistry of foods and how these compounds interact with the human body to influence disease prevention, delay ageing and maintain good mental health.

Recent research has focused on the development of functional foods rich in specific nutrients that provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition, as well as the search for new foods and the development of food supplements that facilitate personalised nutrition, taking into account the genetic and metabolic characteristics of each individual with specific diets.

The biochemistry of food and health is a dynamic and evolving field. Processes, with its Special Issue “Food Biochemistry and Health: Recent Developments and Perspectives”, aims to provide a forum to highlight the latest advances in the knowledge of food composition and its application to the development of healthy diets.

Dr. Juristo Fonollá
Guest Editor

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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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

  • food biochemistry
  • food composition
  • nutrients
  • healthy diets functional foods
  • novel foods
  • food supplements

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 1805 KiB  
Article
Quality, Nutritional Composition, and Antioxidant Potential of Muffins Enriched with Flax Cake
by Dorota Gumul, Marek Kruczek, Katarzyna Szary-Sworst, Renata Sabat and Anna Wywrocka-Gurgul
Processes 2025, 13(6), 1875; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13061875 - 13 Jun 2025
Viewed by 409
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the im pact of incorporating flaxseed cake into wheat muffins on the levels of selected nutritional and bioactive compounds, specifically total polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonols, and flavonoids. The influence of different levels of this additive [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the im pact of incorporating flaxseed cake into wheat muffins on the levels of selected nutritional and bioactive compounds, specifically total polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonols, and flavonoids. The influence of different levels of this additive on the quality attributes of the final product—such as color, texture, and volume—was also assessed. Furthermore, the health-promoting potential of the enriched muffins was analyzed using two free radical scavenging methods (DPPH and ABTS). The findings demonstrated that incorporating flax cake significantly increased the content of polyphenols and flavonoids (up to threefold) and phenolic acids (up to fortyfold). This highlights the potential of using flax cake to enrich food products and enhance the bioactive compound content of wheat muffins. Higher levels of flax cake addition (20%, 30%, and 40%) resulted in a notable increase in antioxidant activity, thereby enhancing the health-promoting properties of the muffins. Muffins with a 10% addition of flax cake exhibited comparable volume and reduced hardness relative to the control and a pleasant color. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Biochemistry and Health: Recent Developments and Perspectives)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 1514 KiB  
Review
Glutamate and Its Role in the Metabolism of Plants and Animals
by Maria Stolarz and Agnieszka Hanaka
Processes 2025, 13(7), 2084; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13072084 - 1 Jul 2025
Viewed by 414
Abstract
Glutamate is one of the major naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of glutamate as a key metabolite in the metabolism of plant and animal organisms. Its role in nutrition [...] Read more.
Glutamate is one of the major naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of glutamate as a key metabolite in the metabolism of plant and animal organisms. Its role in nutrition and neurotransmission has intrigued researchers for many years. In both plants and animals, glutamate primarily exists in a monoanionic form characterised by unique physical and chemical properties. In plants, it is involved in the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase (GS/GOGAT) cycle, while in animals, it plays a role in the glutamine/glutamate cycle, which is closely related to the urea cycle. Glutamate is also closely linked to the Krebs cycle in both groups of organisms through α-ketoglutarate. Glutamate is essential in both biosynthetic and catabolic pathways and participates in numerous physiological processes in plants and animals. Animals acquire glutamate from food, while plants acquire it from the soil; however, both also synthesise it de novo. Once present in the body, it is transported across cell membranes by specific transporters driven by ionic gradients (a mechanism known as secondary active transport). It is involved in cellular and systemic signalling pathways by interacting with ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Additionally, glutamate is an important ‘building block’ of many proteins, including storage proteins. It also occurs in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer that is widely used but often criticised. Due to its important role in metabolism and signalling, the significance of glutamate in nutrition and its impact on human health are vital areas of research in food biochemistry. These investigations contribute to the development of nutritious food products and the design of effective pharmaceuticals. In this paper, we also address unresolved questions in glutamate research and consider its practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Biochemistry and Health: Recent Developments and Perspectives)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1349 KiB  
Review
N-Nitrosamines in Meat Products: Formation, Detection and Regulatory Challenges
by Tomislav Rot, Dragan Kovačević, Kristina Habschied and Krešimir Mastanjević
Processes 2025, 13(5), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13051555 - 17 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1403
Abstract
Nitrosamines (NAs) are a class of chemical compounds predominantly formed during the processing, curing, and storage of meat products through the reaction of nitrites with amines. Decades of toxicological and epidemiological evidence have unequivocally established several NAs as potent human carcinogens, with strong [...] Read more.
Nitrosamines (NAs) are a class of chemical compounds predominantly formed during the processing, curing, and storage of meat products through the reaction of nitrites with amines. Decades of toxicological and epidemiological evidence have unequivocally established several NAs as potent human carcinogens, with strong associations with gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and liver cancers. This review critically examines the pathways of NA formation in meat, the influence of processing conditions, and the factors contributing to their variability in food products. It also outlines state-of-the-art analytical techniques for their detection and summarizes recent scientific efforts to reduce their formation. Despite scientific consensus on the health hazards posed by dietary exposure to NAs, regulatory control remains fragmented and insufficient. Therefore, this review highlights the pressing need for coordinated international action and the development of a harmonized regulatory framework to mitigate public health risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Biochemistry and Health: Recent Developments and Perspectives)
Back to TopTop