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Separations
Special Issues
Innovative Sustainable Methods for Food Component Extraction
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Innovative Sustainable Methods for Food Component Extraction

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Food and Beverages".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2025 | Viewed by 449

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nada Grahovac

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: HPLC; GC; natural products; bioactive compounds
Dr. Zorica Stojanovic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: applied chemistry; instrumental analysis methods; electroanalytics; voltammetric techniques; biosensors
Dr. Ana Đurović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: applied chemistry; instrumental analysis methods; quality control; electroanalytical chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The food industry is increasingly prioritizing sustainable separation techniques for extracting food components, driven by heightened consumer demand for environmentally responsible practices and regulatory pressures. Recent technological advancements, such as innovative filtration systems, supercritical extraction methods, and microwave-assisted extraction, are revolutionizing the landscape by minimizing resource consumption and energy usage while enhancing the efficiency and quality of food products.

These methods not only improve the purity and yield of bioactive compounds but also align with global sustainability goals, addressing the urgent need for eco-friendly practices in food processing. However, challenges remain, including high initial costs and technical limitations that can hinder widespread adoption. Ongoing research is crucial to develop cost-effective solutions and optimize these technologies further.

As the market for functional foods continues to expand, exploring various extraction methods that deliver high-quality ingredients with minimal ecological impact is essential. We invite researchers to submit original articles, reviews, or short communications that highlight innovative practices in the separation and extraction of food components, focusing on both technological advancements and environmental considerations.

Dr. Nada Grahovac
Dr. Zorica Stojanovic
Dr. Ana Đurović
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. Separations 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 2600 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

  • sustainable separation
  • food extraction
  • environmental responsibility
  • resource minimization
  • innovative techniques
  • bioactive compounds
  • functional foods

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 10187 KB  
Article
Box–Behnken-Assisted Optimization of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Enhanced Sugar Determination in Wild Sunflower Nectar
by Nada Grahovac, Milica Aleksić, Lato Pezo, Ana Đurović, Zorica Stojanović, Jelena Jocković and Sandra Cvejić
Separations 2025, 12(9), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12090244 - 7 Sep 2025
Viewed by 265
Abstract
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a cross-pollinated species that relies on pollinators, attracted by itsnectar composition. Nectar consists primarily of sugars (up to 70%), with sucrose, glucose, and fructose being dominant, while minor components such as mannose, arabinose, xylose, and sugar alcohols [...] Read more.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a cross-pollinated species that relies on pollinators, attracted by itsnectar composition. Nectar consists primarily of sugars (up to 70%), with sucrose, glucose, and fructose being dominant, while minor components such as mannose, arabinose, xylose, and sugar alcohols (e.g., mannitol and inositol) occur in lower concentrations and vary with biotic and abiotic factors. This study developed a robust high-performance liquid chromatography method with refractive index detection (HPLC-RID) for the simultaneous quantification of eight sugars (D-ribose, xylose, arabinose, fructose, mannose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose) and two sugar alcohols (mannitol, meso-inositol) in wild sunflower nectar. A Box–Behnken design (BBD), coupled with response surface methodology (RSM), was used to systematically optimize column temperature (20–23 °C), acetonitrile concentration (80–85%), and flow rate (0.7–1 mL/min), while achieving baseline separation of critical sugar pairs, including the previously co-eluting glucose/mannitol and glucose/mannose. Satisfactory resolution (Rs > 1 for all analytes) was achieved under optimized separation conditions comprising a column temperature of 20 °C, 82.5% acetonitrile, and a flow rate of 0.766 mL/min. The RSM efficiently evaluated factor interactions to maximize chromatographic performance, resulting in an optimized protocol that provides a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional sugar analysis methods. Method validation confirmed satisfactory linearity across relevant concentration ranges (50–500 mg/L for most sugars; 50–5500 mg/L for fructose and glucose), with correlation coefficients (R) between 0.985 and 0.999. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for the analyzed sugars and sugar alcohols ranged from 4.04 to 19.46 mg/L and from 13.46 to 194.61 mg/L, respectively. Glucose exhibited the highest sensitivity showing LOD of 4.04 and LOQ of 13.46 mg/L, whereas mannose was identified as the least sensitive analyte, with LOD of 19.46 mg/L and LOQ of 194.61 mg/L. The described method represents a reliable tool for sugar and sugar alcohol analysis in sunflower nectar and can be extended to other plant and food matrices with suitable sample preparation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Sustainable Methods for Food Component Extraction)
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