Dear Colleagues,

The journal Foods (MDPI, Switzerland, ISSN 2304-8158, mdpi.com/journal/foods/) is inviting applications for the Foods 2022 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia.

Eligibility and Requirements
– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The PhD thesis must be defended in 2022.

Required Application Documents
– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria
– Quality of resume and publications;
– Relevance of the candidate and research description;
– Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
– Strength of the recommendation letter;
– Anticipated academic potential;
– Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes
– Bonus (CHF 800);
– Certificate;
– Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Foods after peer review before 30 June 2024.

The application deadline is 30 June 2023. The winner will be announced on the Foods website by the end of August 2023.

Kind regards,
Foods Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Foods is now inviting nominations for the Foods 2023 Young Investigator Award. This prize will be given to one young investigator in recognition of their excellence in the field of food science and technology. All nominations will be assessed by an Award Evaluation Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia.

The Prize:
– CHF 2000;
– Option to publish one paper free of charge in Foods after peer review before 31 December 2023;
– An electronic certificate.

Eligibility and Requirements:
– Must have received their PhD no more than 10 years prior to 31 May 2023;
– Must have produced ground-breaking research and made a significant contribution to the advancement of food science and technology and the related fields;
– Candidates must be nominated by senior scientists.

List of Documents for Nomination:
– Detailed Curriculum Vitae, including an updated publication list and a list of the researcher’s own research grants;
– Scanned copy of doctorate certificate;
– Signed nomination letters from two established senior scientists.

Schedule:
Open for nomination: October 2022.
Nomination deadline: 31 May 2023.
Winners announcement: 31 July 2023.

How can I submit a nomination?
The nominations must be submitted online.

Contact
Ms. Hillary Lv
Marketing Assistant
Email: hillary.lv@mdpi.com

Kind regards,
Foods Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Foods Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Foods. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Dr. Minaxi Sharma
Affiliation: Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut-Condorcet, Ath, Belgium
Research Interests: nanoemulsions; bioactive natural extracts; controlled drug delivery; nanoencapsulation; food ingredients; functional and nutraceutical foods; bioavailability

Dr. Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj
Affiliation: Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Research Interests: nanoscience and nanotechnology; nanodiagnostics and nanotherapeutics; sensors; food/environmental/agricultural waste valorization; food and environmental toxins—analysis and treatment; food and environmental analytical chemistry; novel and green extraction/pretreatment techniques; chromatography—method development; pharmacokinetics and bioavailability; adsorption science and technology

Prof. Dr. Viviani Ruffo de Oliveira
Affiliation: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Research Interests: sensory; bakery; pulses; proximate analyses; food technology

Dr. Marzena Włodarczyk-Stasiak
Affiliation: University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Research Interests: starch; modification starch; structure; functional properties

The Prize for Each Winner:
– CHF 500;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Foods in 2023;
– A certificate.

Kind regards,
Foods Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Foods 2022 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Xiaonan Lu. Dr. Xiaonan Lu is an Associate Professor of the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill University, Quebec, Canada.

Dr. Xiaonan Lu’s research focuses on developing innovative and rapid sensing, instrumentation systems and detection methods to ensure food safety, as well as preventing food bioterrorism and fraud. His research aims to improve food safety and enhance food sustainability.

Dr. Xiaonan Lu (born in 1984) received his PhD in 2011 and has an outstanding publication record, with over 120 publications (>5,000 citations, h-index 42, i10-index 93 as of April 2022). Approximately one-third of these papers were published in journals with an impact factor higher than 5, including: Biosensors & Bioelectronics, PloS Pathogens, Theranostics, Chemical Communications, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, ACS Sensors, and Analytical Chemistry. These publications have attracted significant interest, resulting in 46 invited talks. He is a rising star in the field of food science and technology. Since beginning his independent academic career in Canada, Dr. Lu has achieved remarkable success, securing external research funding totaling > CAD 6 million (after university overhead) in 10 years as a principal investigator. Dr. Lu is an outstanding young academic with many remarkable achievements. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Xiaonan Lu for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Xiaonan Lu will receive an honorarium of CHF 2000, the opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Foods within the next two years (subject to peer review), and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2021 Best Paper Award. All papers published in 2021 in Foods were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, four winners were selected. 

Two Reviews:
Functionality of Food Components and Emerging Technologies
By Charis M. Galanakis
Foods 2021, 10(1), 128; doi:10.3390/foods10010128

Functionality of Ingredients and Additives in Plant-Based Meat Analogues
By Konstantina Kyriakopoulou, Julia K. Keppler and Atze Jan van der Goot
Foods 2021, 10(3), 600; doi:10.3390/foods10030600

Two Articles:
Blockchain-Based Traceability System That Ensures Food Safety Measures to Protect Consumer Safety and COVID-19 Free Supply Chains
By Adnan Iftekhar and Xiaohui Cui
Foods 2021, 10(6), 1289; doi:10.3390/foods10061289 

A Novel Approach for Tuning the Physicochemical, Textural, and Sensory Characteristics of Plant-Based Meat Analogs with Different Levels of Methylcellulose Concentration
By Allah Bakhsh, Se-Jin Lee, Eun-Yeong Lee, Nahar Sabikun, Young-Hwa Hwang and Seon-Tea Joo
Foods 2021, 10(3), 560; doi:10.3390/foods10030560

Prizes:
– Two review article awards: each will receive CHF 800 and a chance to publish a free paper in Foods in 2023;
– Two research article awards: each will receive CHF 800 and a chance to publish a free paper in Foods in 2023;
– Each winner will also receive an electronic certificate.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Foods 2021 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Foods. 

Kind regards,
Foods Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2021 Outstanding Review Awards. The Foods Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in
checking the manuscripts submitted to Foods. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Dr. Graziele Grossi Bovi Karatay
Department of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil

Dr. Kevin Kantono
Department of Food Science, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Dr. Nemanja Teslic
Institute of Food Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Dr. Konstantinos Petrotos
Department of Agrotechnology, School of Agricultural Sciences, Geopolis Campus, University of Thessaly, Periferiaki Odos Larisas Trikalon, 41500 Larisa, Greece

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, it is my great pleasure to announce the winners of the 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize was aimed to be granted doctors who have produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis.

The award has been granted to the following theses:

1. “Influence of Modified Maternal Diet on the Phenotype of Offspring: Behavioral and Molecular Correlations”, by Dr. Kinga Gawlińska, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland;

2. “Development of Life Cycle Assessment Methodology in Food Supply Chain”, by Dr. Amin Nikkhah, Ghent University, Belgium.

Each winner will receive CHF 500, a certificate, and a chance to publish a paper in Foods before the end of 2023.

On behalf of the Evaluation Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the nominated research groups of the above exceptional theses for their contributions to Foods, and to thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Foods 2021 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Guodong Zhang.

Dr. Guodong Zhang is an Associate Professor of the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, USA. Dr. Guodong Zhang’s major research focus is on foods for health and wellness with an emphasis on the roles of bioactive lipids in colonic inflammation and colon cancer. Dr. Guodong Zhang received his PhD in 2010 (born in 1982) and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 73 publications in peerreviewed international journals and 4 international patents. Dr. Guodong Zhang’s Scopus Scientific Citations number is 1822 and his Hirsch index is 24. He is clearly a rising star in the field of food science and technology. As a single applicant, Dr. Guodong Zhang has secured funding of more than 1.7 million USD as a principal investigator (PI) and more than 5.1 million USD as a co-PI. This is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Guodong Zhang for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Guodong Zhang will receive an honorarium of 2000 CHF, an offer to publish a paper free of charge in Foods after peer review within two years, and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the many excellent nominations.

Prof. Dr. Christopher John Smith
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Best Paper Awards. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of various papers, citations, and downloads, the two winning papers, which were nominated by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia, have been selected.

Two reviews:

Advances in Occurrence, Importance, and Mycotoxin Control Strategies: Prevention and Detoxification in Foods
By Sofia Agriopoulou, Eygenia Stamatelopoulou and Theodoros Varzakas
Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9020137

Health Benefits and Molecular Mechanisms of Resveratrol: A Narrative Review
By Xiao Meng, Jing Zhou, Cai-Ning Zhao, Ren-You Gan and Hua-Bin Li
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/3/340

Two research articles:

Screening and Characterization of Phenolic Compounds and Their Antioxidant Capacity in Different Fruit Peels
By Hafiz A. R. Suleria, Colin J. Barrow and Frank R. Dunshea
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/9/1206

Could Defatted Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Mealworm Oil Be Used as Food Ingredients?
By Authors: Yang-Ju Son, Soo Young Choi, In-Kyeong Hwang, Chu Won Nho and Soo Hee Kim
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/1/40

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 800 and a chance to publish a paper in Foods in 2022.

On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Foods, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Arun K. Bhunia, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2020 Review Awards. The Foods Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Foods. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Kind regards,

1. Dr. Giuseppe Mannino
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Innovation Centre, Plant Physiology Unit, University of Turin, Via Quarello 15/A, Turin 10135, Italy

2. Dr. Anna Florowska
Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW (WULS-SGGW), Warsaw, Poland

3. Dr. Kevin Kantono
Department of Food Science, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

4. Dr. Mohammad Zahirul Islam
Faculty Member, Food Science and Biotechnology, Gachon University, Korea

Prof. Dr. Christopher John Smith
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

All the applications from 32 countries were evaluated by an international panel of experts, who ranked the applicants according to their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Smith, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2020 Travel Award:

Ph.D. Student:

Luis Noguera-Artiaga, from Miguel Hernández University of Elche (Spain). His current research centers on the analysis of the physical, chemical, functional, biofunctional, and sensory properties of pistachio nuts. He mainly focuses on the identification and quantification of polyphenols by UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS, the identification and quantification of volatile compounds by GC-MS, the quantification of fatty acids by GC-FID, mineral content quantification by atomic absorption, study of mutagenic and antiproliferative properties (with five types of cancer cells) by AMES test and MTT tests, the determination of antidiabetic properties by the study of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, and studying the opinion of international consumers by conducting sensory studies in Spain, Poland, and Mexico. 

Junior Investigator:

Dr. Federica Turrini, from the University of Genoa (Italy). His current research centers on eco-compatible extractive technologies with ultrasound (green chemistry); fingerprint analytical technologies for the characterization and evaluation of the authenticity of numerous food matrices; functional foods and food dietary supplements; and on innovative technological food treatments.

We congratulate them on their excellent work, and would further like to thank all applicants for their interesting and high-quality contributions. We also wish to thank the Selection Committee members, Drs. Christopher J. Smith, Antonello Santini, Mario Estévez, Rotimi Aluko, Esther Sendra, and Derek V. Byrne for their evaluation of the candidates.

Best Regards,
Foods Editorial Office

The Foods Editorial Board and editorial team appreciate the reviewers who contributed their expertise and time assessing the manuscripts submitted to the journal. With their support, many high quality papers have been published in Foods and our quick peer review process has been maintained.

The following referee has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Smith, to receive the “Foods 2019 Outstanding Reviewer Award” for the quantity, timeliness and quality of her reviews in 2019. Prof. Blasi will receive 500 Swiss Francs, and an electronic certificate for her outstanding review work.

Prof. Dr. Francesca Blasi

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Section of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

We warmly congratulate Prof. Blasi on her achievement.

Dear colleagues,

As the Editor-in-chief of Foods, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2019 Best Paper Award.

The awards have been granted to:

Two Reviews:

1. Impact of Biogenic Amines on Food Quality and Safety
By Claudia Ruiz-Capillas and Ana M Herrero
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/8/2/62

2. Bioactive Compounds and Biological Functions of Garlic (Allium sativum L.)
By Ao Shang, Shi-Yu Cao, Xiao-Yu Xu, Ren-You Gan, Guo-Yi Tang, Harold Corke, Vuyo Mavumengwana and Hua-Bin Li
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/8/7/246

Two Research Articles:

1. Quality and Nutritional/Textural Properties of Durum Wheat Pasta Enriched with Cricket Powder
By Adamina Duda, Julia Adamczak, Paulina Chełmińska, Justyna Juszkiewicz and Przemysław Kowalczewski
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/8/2/46

2. Factors Predicting the Intention of Eating an Insect-Based Product
By Simone Mancini, Giovanni Sogari, Davide Menozzi, Roberta Nuvoloni, Beatrice Torracca, Roberta Moruzzo and Gisella Paci
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/8/7/270

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive 800 CHF and a chance to publish a paper in Foods in 2021.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Foods, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Christopher John Smith, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

All the applications from 32 countries were evaluated by an international panel of experts, who ranked the applicants according to their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Smith, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2019 Travel Awards.

Ph.D. student:

Caterina Villa, from of University of Porto (Portugal). Her current research centers on the evaluation of food processing and in vitro digestibility on the structural/allergenic properties of food proteins, and specifically milk and lupine allergens, as well as on the development of specific and highly efficient techniques for their detection in foods.

Junior investigator:

Dr. Damir Torrico, from Lincoln University (New Zealand). His current research centers on sensory science with emphasis on (1) taste perception, (2) food product optimization and consumer acceptability, (3) physiological and psychological responses of consumers toward food products, (4) new food product development, and (5) applications of new statistical methods and analyses for interpreting complex sensory and consumer data.

We congratulate them on their excellent work and would further like to thank all applicants for their interesting and high-quality contributions. We also wish to thank the Selection Committee members, Drs. Christopher J. Smith, Antonello Santini, Mario Estévez, Rotimi Aluko, Shridhar K. Sathe, Robyn Warner, and Esther Sendra, for their evaluation of the candidates.

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing. The editorial team greatly appreciates the reviewers who contributed their knowledge and expertise to the journal’s editorial process over the past 12 months. In 2018, a total of 211 papers were published in the journal, with a median time to first decision of 15.8 days and a median time to publication of 35 days.

The following referee has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Smith, to receive “Foods 2018 Outstanding Reviewer Award” for the quantity, timeliness and quality of her reviews in 2018. She will receive 500 CHF, an electronic certificate, and can publish one free paper in Foods for her outstanding review work.

Prof. Dr. Mary Ellen Camire
School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, USA

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Foods Best Paper Award. One review article and one research article were selected for this award. All papers published in 2018 in Foods were considered for the award. The originality and significance of the papers as well as the citations and downloads in 2019 were considered when choosing the winners.

1. Dairy Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: Do We Really Need to Be Concerned?
Authors: Ronan Lordan, Alexandros Tsoupras, Bhaskar Mitra and Ioannis Zabetakis
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/7/3/29
Award: The award consists of 800 Swiss Francs and one free publication.

2. Protein Determination—Method Matters
Authors: Hanne K. Mæhre, Lars Dalheim, Guro K. Edvinsen, Edel O. Elvevoll and Ida-Johanne Jensen
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/7/1/5
Award: The award consists of 800 Swiss Francs and one free publication.

We believe the above papers represent valuable contribution to Foods and scientific literature. This award is also to celebrate the release of the first Impact Factor, 3.011 (2018) and to strengthen friendly authorship. We warmly congratulate the winners.

Kind regards,
Christopher J. Smith
Editor-in-Chief, Foods

Dear Colleagues,

All the applications from 12 countries were evaluated by an international panel of experts, who ranked the applicants according to their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Christopher J. Smith, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Foods 2018 Travel Awards:

• Dr. Nicola Caporaso, from University of Nottingham (UK). His current research centers on the application of hyperspectral imaging for study food composition and quality.
• Dr. Ioannis K. Karabagias, from University of Ioannina (Greece). His current research centers on the preparation and authentication of bio-functional foods and beverages.

We congratulate them on their excellent work and would further like to thank all applicants for their interesting and high-quality contributions. We also wish to thank the Selection Committee members, Drs. Christopher J. Smith, Antonello Santini, Mario Estévez, Shridhar K. Sathe, and Rotimi Aluko, for their evaluation of the candidates.

Foods Editorial Office

The Foods Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in checking manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the quality of the journal and quick submission to publication process are maintained. The median time to first decision is 19 days and the median time to publication is 46 days.

The following referee has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Foods, Prof. Dr. Christopher J. Smith, to receive “Foods 2017 Outstanding Reviewer Award” for the quantity, timeliness and quality of her reviews in 2017. She will receive 500 CHF, an electronic certificate, and can publish one free paper in Foods for her outstanding review work.

Antonella Pasqualone, Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy

Over 110 eligible applications, from 37 countries, including Europe, USA, New Zealand and Australia, etc., were evaluated by an international panel of experts, who ranked the applicants according to their CV and scholarly achievements, their research, the significance of the conference, and their career aspirations. On behalf of Editor-in-Chief of Foods, we are pleased to announce the winner of the 2017 Foods Travel Awards:

• The Junior Research Award winner is Dr. Nauman Khalid of Deakin University (Australia). His current research centers on the field of bioactive and functional food, lipid science, antioxidants, and so on.
• The PhD Award winner is Ajay Shivajirao Desai of Lincoln University (New Zealand). His current research centers on the field of food product development, food ingredient technology, starch-protein interaction and seafood processing.

We congratulate them on their excellent work and would further like to thank all applicants for their interesting and high quality contributions. We also wish to thank the Selection Committee members, Drs. Christopher J. Smith, Mario Estévez, Shridhar K. Sathe, Rotimi Aluko, Emilie Combet, Antonello Santini and Chrysoula Tassou, for their evaluation of the candidates.