About this Research Topic
An extremely large number of distinct bioactive compounds has been found to be present in grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, and herbs. Bioactive compounds may also be found in under-valorized sources such as agri-food byproducts (seeds, skins, pomaces) or food waste and they are seen as a global concern that has a detrimental influence on the environment. However, many more of these bioactive compounds are yet unknown. To completely understand the health advantages of dietary phytochemicals, these compounds must be identified. Dietary phytochemicals vary greatly in composition among fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and they frequently have complementary action mechanisms to one another. Fiber, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants are all found in large amounts in plants and they have all been shown to be useful food constituents. In addition to carotenoids, vitamins C and E, and polyphenols including stilbenes, anthocyanins, flavonoids, lignans, and phenolic acids, are the main components of plant-derived natural antioxidants. These naturally occurring antioxidants have a multitude of biological characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-aging, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer effects. Food-derived proteins or peptides have recently acquired prominence due to their bioactive qualities, which were shown to be centered on their amino acid sequences. Regardless of their nutritional significance, bioactive peptides demonstrate beneficial biological activity having a favorable impact on human health. In the food industry, aside from their nutritional benefits, antioxidant peptides can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation by modulating redox signal transduction. As a result, these items may be utilized to create functional foods and dietary supplements.
Nowadays, green extraction techniques, such as enzyme-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction, have replaced traditional techniques, which are labor-intensive, costly, and need a lot of organic solvents. Plant extracts have been shown to have an important role in reducing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) caused by different risk factors. In order to evaluate the role of plant extracts in reducing the risk of NCDs, validation of analytical approaches in extraction, isolation, and characterization of bioactive compounds from plants is necessary.
The global market of dietary food is constantly growing. The rising frequency of chronic illnesses and increased awareness among healthcare professionals and individuals are significant drivers for this growth. Foods for specific dietary needs are products that have been engineered to meet certain dietary criteria. These foods are specially processed or formulated and intended for the dietary management of patients and include infant formula, foods for the elderly, slimming foods, medical foods or for special medical purposes, sports nutritional foods, and others. Moreover, food allergy, caused by an IgE-mediated response to a specific food, has grown into a global issue as its frequency and severity have increased over the last decade. Diet factors may operate as an epigenetic modulator to correct the immunological imbalance caused by food allergies. Certain diet factors, including omega-3 fatty acids, SCFAs, and vitamin D, have been shown to protect against food allergies.
As a preferred method of managing illness, non-drug and noninvasive therapies for disease prevention and treatment have gained popularity among consumers, health professionals, and the medical community worldwide. Over the past 20 years, several dietary foods have been created, yet this sector has advanced slowly. Foods for special dietary needs are now being created quickly and are expected to increase greatly in the near future due to the rise of functional food research and awareness. The efficacy of these food products must be established by extensive research.
This Research Topic welcomes original research articles and reviews covering, but is not limited to, the following sub-themes:
1. Conventional and modern technologies for extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds from plant materials (raw plant components, medicinal plants, by-products, food waste, etc).
2. Functionality and properties of bioactive compounds and ingredients from plants.
3. Health benefits of plant-derived bioactive compounds.
4. Digestibility studies, allergenic potential analysis, and food safety studies.
5. Production methods and innovation in the formulation of plant-based food for consumers with specific dietary needs.
6. Innovative technologies (spray-drying, freeze-drying, fermentation, cryogenic techniques, minimal food processing, etc) used for the development of dietary foods.
7. Sensorial quality of foods for specific dietary needs.
8. Future trends in plant-based food and alternatives.
Manuscripts submitted to the Ethnopharmacology section in Frontiers in Pharmacology need to comply with the best practice guidelines of the section if plant extracts are investigated including the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology. A detailed description of the material studied, its extraction, and processing is essential. You can freely download the full version here. Please self-assess your manuscript using the ConPhyMP tool, and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.
Keywords: Food Allergy, Medical Food, Characterization, Green Extraction, Health Effects, Functional Food, Plant-based Food Alternatives, Plant-derived Bioactive Molecules, Special Dietary Needs
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.