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Functional Foods: A Sustainable Processing Perspective

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 32

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Posgrado en Biociencias, División de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Irapuato-Salamanca, Irapuato 36500, GTO, Mexico
Interests: peptides; proteomic; functional food

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of functional foods and sustainable food processing, focusing on innovative solutions and scientific advancements that promote environmental sustainability while enhancing the nutritional value and health benefits of food products. By integrating explorations of sustainable ingredients and raw materials, green technologies, efficient resource use, and advanced chemical analysis methods, this Special Issue seeks to drive the progress of the development and application of sustainable practices within the functional food industry. 

1. Sustainable Ingredients and Raw Materials: Play a crucial role in the development of functional foods, as they form the foundation of these products, and the choice of raw materials directly impacts the nutritional value, health benefits, and environmental footprint of functional foods. By selecting sustainable ingredients, such as organic, non-GMO, or locally sourced materials, manufacturers can ensure that their products are not only beneficial for consumers' health but also environmentally friendly. 

2. Innovative Processing Techniques for Functional Foods: Cutting-edge methods and technologies in sustainable food processing that preserve and enhance the bioactive compounds and nutritional profiles of functional foods while minimizing resource consumption and waste generation. 

3. Chemical Analysis for Quality and Safety: Advanced chemical analysis techniques that ensure the safety, quality, and authenticity of functional foods, supporting compliance with sustainability and regulatory standards. 

4. Green Technologies for Nutritional Enhancement: Exploring how green processing technologies can improve the nutritional value and bioavailability of functional food ingredients, while also increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. 

5. Circular Economy and By-product Valorization: The promotion of the development of functional foods based on by-products from agriculture, horticulture, and the food industry, aligning with circular economy principles to reduce waste and create value-added products. 

6. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Sustainability Evaluation: The application of LCA methods to evaluate the environmental impact of functional food processing techniques, guiding the development of more sustainable practices and products. 

I look forward to receiving your contributions.  

Dr. Fabiola León-Galván
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. Sustainability 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 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

  • sustainable ingredients and raw materials
  • sustainable food processing
  • food safety and quality
  • chemical analysis in food systems
  • energy efficiency in food production
  • nutritional enhancement
  • circular economy in food systems
  • research on functional foods

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This special issue is now open for submission.
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