The Taste of Sustainability: Bridging Acceptability, Functionality and Nutritional Quality of Sustainable Foods

Dear Colleagues,

The current global population is growing at an unprecedented rate, posing an increased burden on food production systems. This is further coupled with the growth in global demand for environmentally sustainable food production and consumption. Therefore, understanding the interplay between taste perception, product innovation, and health outcomes is becoming crucial. This Special Issue, “The Taste of Sustainability: Bridging Acceptability, Functionality and Nutritional Quality of Sustainable Foods”, invites original research, review articles (brief, narrative, comprehensive and systematic literature reviews) and brief communications exploring how sustainably produced foods can deliver sensory experiences while meeting functional and nutritional expectations.

We welcome studies exploring sensory perception, flavour optimisation, processing innovations, ingredient functionality, technological advances, consumer behaviour, nutritional and other health benefits that may enhance the palatability and overall quality of sustainably produced foods. Contributions with interdisciplinary approaches combining sensory science, food technology, nutrition, and sustainability assessment are highly encouraged.

The topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Associations between sensory attributes, instrumental analyses, and consumer acceptability of sustainable foods;
• Strategies for flavour enhancement and flavour modifications of alternative protein products;
• Nutritional profiling and optimisation of sustainable food formulations;
• Processing technologies influencing flavour, texture, and nutritional quality of alternative proteins;
• Reformulation of conventional foods using sustainable ingredients;
• Behavioural drivers of consumer acceptance and willingness to adopt sustainable foods.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for researchers and practitioners to share insights that support the development of sustainable foods without compromising taste, quality, or nutritional and potential integrity.

Dr. Jorry Dharmawan
Prof. Dr. Nenad Naumovski
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.