Exploring the Potential of Bioactive Compounds and Extracts Obtained from Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Plant bioactive compounds are chemical substances that are present in different parts of plants and are produced as part of their secondary metabolism, and they can have various biological functions. The main groups that can be found are polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, carbohydrates, and saponins. These natural substances have been shown to have various health-promoting, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties, among others. In addition, there is a substantial amount of research on bioactive compounds and plant extract applications across the food field such as food ingredients, in developing functional foods, and nutraceuticals.

The amount and type of bioactives present in plants depend on genetic factors (species and varieties) as well as on environmental ones such as cultivation conditions, time of collection, processing, and storage. A topic of great interest is the valorisation of agricultural and food industry by-products to obtain compounds with high added value. The development of green, more sustainable methods for the extraction of bioactive compounds is also of great interest.

In this Special Issue, we intend to explore the potential of bioactive compounds and extracts obtained from plants. Original articles or reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome:

• Active search for new bioactive compounds especially in local and underused plant species;
• Development of extraction and purification methodologies and elucidation of their structure–activity relationship;
• Sustainable green technologies for extraction of bioactives;
• Pre- and postharvest factors affecting the type and content of plant bioactives;
• Extraction of bioactive compounds and preparation of extracts from by-products of the agricultural and food sectors within the concept of the circular economy;
• New approaches to evaluate biological activities;
• Potential applications in various fields of food science and food technology.

Dr. Rafael Guillén Bejarano
Dr. María Rocío Rodríguez Arcos
Dr. Ana J Jiménez-Araujo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Foods 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 2900 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.

• plant bioactives
• phytochemicals
• by-products
• food ingredients
• biological activities
• circular economy
• sustainability
• valorisation