Sustainable Processing Design for Functional Ingredients in Food
A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Process Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: functional foods; microencapsulation of active compounds; extraction of active compounds; technofunctional properties; antioxidant activity
Interests: food science and technology; food extrusion; physical chemistry of food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: bioactive compounds; functional foods; bioactive peptides; vegetable protein; antihypertensive activity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent decades, the role of food has transcended its purely nutritional function, consolidating itself as a strategic tool for promoting health and preventing chronic diseases. This evolution has driven a growing interest in functional foods, defined by their ability to offer additional physiological benefits beyond their basic nutritional value. At the same time, the food industry faces the unavoidable challenge of redesigning its production systems based on principles of sustainability, energy efficiency, and the comprehensive use of raw materials.
This Special Issue of Processes, entitled "Sustainable Processing Design for Functional Ingredients in Food", will be as a platform to for researchers to explore the synergies between technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and food functionality. We aim to bring together original research, critical reviews, and methodological developments that address the design, optimization, and application of sustainable processes—such as emerging technologies, green extraction, biorefineries, and the revaluation of agri-food byproducts—for obtaining bioactive ingredients with validated functional properties. In a social context marked by climate change, resource scarcity, and the growing demand for healthy foods, it is essential to integrate multidisciplinary approaches that ensure the industrial viability of cleaner, circular, and socially responsible solutions. Thus, the papers included in this Special Issue will not only delve into the technical and scientific aspects of processing, but also highlight its contribution to the development of more resilient and sustainable food value chains.
We hope this Special Issue will serve as a reference for researchers, technologists, formulators, and public policymakers committed to transforming the food system toward a healthier and more sustainable model.
Dr. Betsabe Hernandez Santos
Prof. Dr. Jesús Rodríguez-Miranda
Dr. Juan Gabriel Torruco-Uco
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. 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
- sustainability
- green processing
- functional ingredients
- emerging technologies
- natural bioactives
- byproduct valorization
- healthy foods
- energy efficiency
- food biorefineries
- technological innovation
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