About this Research Topic

Background

The quality of edible foods from different origins is subject to deterioration due to the frequent occurrence of enzymatic, chemical, and microbiological changes in agricultural and aquaculture products. The degree of nutritional deterioration at the different levels may include the losses in organoleptic taste, nutritional/ aesthetic value, and safety aspects. The foods may also change in colour, texture, flavour, or various other attributes associated with quality. Environmental pollution, the use of toxic pesticides and preservatives also raises concerns for the availability of safe and healthy foods. Studies have mentioned gastrointestinal diseases due to the consumption of spoiled food that may include food-borne infections (by Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Aeromonas spp., etc). Despite the regulatory alerts and public awareness programs, the conditions are worsening in developing and under-developed countries. To avoid the food-based epidemic, different types of research are in progress to nullify the current problems of food production, processing, safety, and storage across the globe.

Conventional food preservation methods - such as pasteurization, freezing, fermentation, ozone processing, cold plasma technology, pulsed electric field, cavitation, and high-pressure technology - are commonly in use by local food market vendors and the food industry. However, there is growing interest in the use of next-generation and smart technologies within the food industry, including the use of drones in agricultural practice, smart packaging, 3D printing and ingredient informatics to improve the preservation and nutritional value of processed food. There are also numerous technologies and interventions that aim to reduce spoilage during transport and distribution, such as robotics in food production/handling, wrap tracks real-time food spoilage, development of edible coating to improve shelf-life, and viral cocktails for food poison treatment. As such, this Research Topic aims to explore both conventional and novel food production and preservation techniques. Proposed themes will not only focus on chemical/ thermal methods for food preservation but also will explain their limitations (antimicrobial resistance to induce food spoilage). Along with mechanisms of microbial growth, the role of environmental conditions and cross-reactivity between food ingredients and preservatives will also be highlighted. To further explain the need for packaged or transportable food quality maintenance, the role of smart packaging like Radio-frequency identification tags (RFID) or colorimetric sensors will also be evaluated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) controls industrial food production through both ‘good manufacturing practices (GMP)’ and ‘good laboratory practices (GLP)’ compliance-regulations. These regulations vary country-to-country, however, the end goal is always to ‘provide healthy food.’ As such, it is also important to consider the role of nation-wide regulatory authorities in maintaining the food quality and next-generation advances at industrial scale food processing. For example, the involvement of Governments in healthy food production and post-market analysis of commercialized packaged food.

For the last few decades, scientists across the globe are targeting the safety, nutritional values preservation, and use of anti-microbial preservatives in food products that directly affect the health of consumers. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to highlight original research and reviews exploring production, processing, safety, and storage of the food obtained from agricultural and aquaculture systems.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- Microbial classification, potential pathogenesis mechanisms, and biochemistry of food-borne pathogens
- Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic interventions against food-borne diseases
- Food safety practices and hygienic knowledge in the agricultural and aquaculture sector of food production
- Environmental and storage conditions for healthy food processing and preservation (both agricultural and aquaculture based edible foods)
- Advances in conventional (high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields processing, and non-thermal food-processing techniques) and novel (3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital food management) approaches to food preservation
- Role of nanotechnology in safety, production, preservation, and monitoring of foods, importance of nano-carriers, nano-additives, nano-nutraceuticals, and nano-sensors
- Implementation and applicability of food safety and hygiene regulations by different Governments

Keywords: Food preservation, Food safety, Food-borne Diseases, Microbiological safety, Nanotechnology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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