Natural Antimicrobials and Their Applications in Foods

Dear Colleagues,

Food safety has become an increasingly important international concern, as contaminated food causes illness in millions of people around the world. Contaminated foods have been implicated in many foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Several groups of microorganisms (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, norovirus etc) can contaminate foods at any point in the food production chain. In recent years, consumers have also become more concerned about the use of synthetic preservatives in foods and their negative impact on health. These days consumer demand for not only microbiologically safe, but also minimally processed foods without the use of synthetic preservatives. Moreover, because antibiotics are used so extensively in agriculture, animals and livestock production, the microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses are becoming antibiotic resistant strains. Consequently, the application of natural antimicrobials has received increasing attention.

There are many unexplored sources of natural products that could be used as preservatives in food applications. The food industry is looking for different natural compounds that could be used in different food products and seek for new delivery systems of these natural compounds.  In addition, unwanted byproducts generated from plants and animals are generally excellent sources of several bioactive compounds. Thus, exploitation of these byproducts may be an economically attractive way to enhance food safety and quality.  Since these byproducts are not currently being adequately utilized in food applications, authors are strongly encouraged to submit manuscripts dealing with such topics. Our aim in this special issue is to publish relevant research papers as well as review articles addressing the use of natural antimicrobials in food applications. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts.

Prof. Dr. Salam A. Ibrahim
Dr. Rabin Gyawali
Dr. Ali Daneshmand
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. 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.

• natural antimicrobials
• foodborne pathogens
• antibiotic resistant
• food safety
• food preservation
• food spoilage