Dear Colleagues,

"Nutraceuticals" refer to any product derived from food sources with additional health benefits, in addition to the basic nutritional value found in food. They are a group of products representing more than food but less than pharmaceuticals, and may be considered "a food or part of a food, which provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of disease" (Stephen L. De Felice, 1989). Recently, research on nutraceuticals has become a hot topic due to their intrinsic properties, e.g., nutritional value potential, safety, affordability and multiple therapeutic effects. Nutraceuticals are gaining researchers’ interest as an alternative or supplemental treatment along with pharmaceuticals to aid in the prevention and treatment of a wide range of diseases. This therapeutic potential is provided by the high content of bioactive compounds, derived from natural sources with high biocompatibility and physiological benefits, able to play an important role in the body’s various biological processes, such as reducing the excess of free radicals, cell renewal, which delay the aging process or support body function and integrity, the provision of protection from chronic diseases and can improve the health naturally and overall life quality. A key advantage of nutraceuticals is their natural source; hence, the chemical grouping and categories include nutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals), dietary fiber, antioxidants, inducers of beneficial enzyme activities, prebiotics and probiotics, dietary supplements, herbal products, processed foods (cereals, soups and beverages), fortified dairy products, fortified cereals, genetically engineered “designer” foods, etc. The process design of nutraceuticals is a crucial step as specific delivery systems are greatly needed to protect the nutraceuticals from the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract along with the enhancement of their efficacy. Optimized nutraceuticals and tailored delivery systems can supply the human body with necessary nutrients, ensuring rapid repair and regeneration. Another fundamental aspect is the safety of these products. Potential interactions with conventional drugs present the risk of side effects, such as allergic reactions or even toxicity, depending on the dose. Security concerns request the traceability of all nutraceuticals, herbs and foods, not only for quality control, but also to prevent the introduction of chemical and microbiological hazards as counterfeiting agents.

The proposed topic for the Special Issue "Process Design, Analysis and Medicinal Importance of Nutraceuticals" is multidisciplinary; hence, we suggest an approach from various directions of nutraceuticals research, process design, obtaining and analysis methods, key molecule bioactivities determination, with emphasis on the role of bioactive compounds found in nutraceuticals as pharmaceutical alternatives, in dietary supplements, products derived from food sources that provide extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods, herbal and food ingredients or functional foods as nutraceuticals, claiming to have physiological benefits, prevent chronic diseases, improve health, have antioxidant potential, delay the aging process, support the structure or function of the body and increase life expectancy.

Contributions to this Special Issue, both in the form of original research or review articles, may cover all aspects of nutraceutical research; studies with multidisciplinary input, offering new methodologies, biotechnology, innovative products, biomedical applications or insights, are particularly welcome.

Thanks to the open access platform offered by this Special Issue of Processes, researchers are able to share their investigations and findings in this promising field, increase their visibility and chances to interact with potential nutraceutical industries and production systems.

Prof. Dr. Ticuta Negreanu-Pirjol
Dr. Ana Maria Stanciuc
Dr. Bogdan-Stefan Negreanu-Pirjol
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. Processes 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 2000 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.

• nutraceutical production processes design/synthesis
• processing and analysis methods
• nutraceutical compounds with medicinal importance
• nutraceuticals delivery systems design
• biomedical applications
• disease prevention
• isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds
• bioactive compounds/active molecules
• nonconventional extractions
• analysis, risk assessment and sensitivity analysis
• process analytical technology
• computer-aided process design
• safety and efficacy
• microencapsulation
• nanoparticles
• bioavailability
• metabolic effects/interactions
• synergic effects and combination therapies
• oxidative stress
• probiotics/prebiotics/paraprobiotics/postbiotics
• phytopharmaceuticals
• nutraceuticals as antioxidants
• nutraceutical potential of phenolics
• nutraceuticals in oral health
• nutraceuticals in traditional medicine
• nutraceutical fruits
• nutraceuticals vs. pharmaceuticals
• nutraceuticals vs. food supplements
• nutraceutical products/functional foods