About this Research Topic
Plant-based diets have gained increasing attention in recent years due to their potential to improve human health. These diets are characterized by the consumption of plant-based food products while minimizing or excluding animal products, promoting an eco-friendly approach to food nutrition. The food industry has adapted quickly, launching plant-based food products that lower greenhouse gas emissions and have reduced resource use, such as water and land, compared to similar animal products. As consumer demand for plant-based alternatives continues to rise, there is a need to further understand how different processing techniques can affect human health, including the potential of biofortification to enhance the nutritional value of plant-based foods.
This Research Topic aims to explore the impact that different established and novel processing technologies and methods for producing plant-based food products can have on human health. Although plant-based diets are generally associated with health and environmental benefits, the growing popularity of processed plant-based alternatives has raised concerns about their potential effects on human health. Additionally, various strategies for producing value-added plant-based products are being studied, such as by-product upcycling, bioprocessing, and biofortification. These approaches have the potential to improve the organoleptic profile and consumer acceptance of plant-based foods. They may also positively influence nutritional quality, though more evidence is still needed. The Research Topic will help clarify the benefits and challenges of processed plant-based foods for health and highlight the most promising processing technologies.
We invite researchers to contribute original studies and reviews that explore the impact of processed plant-based foods on human health. Specific topics of interest include the nutritional composition of innovative processed plant-based products, the interaction between products processed using various technologies and gut microbiota (including, but not limited to, changes in microbiome population abundance and profile, short-chain fatty acid production, etc.), comparisons with less processed plant-based and animal products, the use of emerging processing techniques for the production of functional plant-based products, and the use of by-products as starting materials for these products, along with their implications for daily life and disease prevention. Research on biotransformation and biofortification to enhance nutritional quality is highly encouraged. Manuscripts may include original research, systematic reviews, case reports, or meta-analyses. We welcome interdisciplinary approaches to better understand how these products contribute to health goals.
This Research Topic aims to explore the impact that different established and novel processing technologies and methods for producing plant-based food products can have on human health. Although plant-based diets are generally associated with health and environmental benefits, the growing popularity of processed plant-based alternatives has raised concerns about their potential effects on human health. Additionally, various strategies for producing value-added plant-based products are being studied, such as by-product upcycling, bioprocessing, and biofortification. These approaches have the potential to improve the organoleptic profile and consumer acceptance of plant-based foods. They may also positively influence nutritional quality, though more evidence is still needed. The Research Topic will help clarify the benefits and challenges of processed plant-based foods for health and highlight the most promising processing technologies.
We invite researchers to contribute original studies and reviews that explore the impact of processed plant-based foods on human health. Specific topics of interest include the nutritional composition of innovative processed plant-based products, the interaction between products processed using various technologies and gut microbiota (including, but not limited to, changes in microbiome population abundance and profile, short-chain fatty acid production, etc.), comparisons with less processed plant-based and animal products, the use of emerging processing techniques for the production of functional plant-based products, and the use of by-products as starting materials for these products, along with their implications for daily life and disease prevention. Research on biotransformation and biofortification to enhance nutritional quality is highly encouraged. Manuscripts may include original research, systematic reviews, case reports, or meta-analyses. We welcome interdisciplinary approaches to better understand how these products contribute to health goals.
Keywords: Plant-based, Gut Health, Food Sustainability, Food Processing, Future Foods
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.
