Separation and Purification of Functional Components of Foods and Herbs

Dear Colleagues,

Functional components of foods and herbs have garnered extensive attention in recent years due to their specific physicochemical properties, potential health benefits and biological activities (e.g., anti-viral, antitumor, anti-diabetes, hepatoprotective effects). These components include nutrients and bioactive substances (e.g., polysaccharides, polyphenols, flavonoids and alkaloids), which frequently have the ability to promote health and well-being and/or to reduce the risk of diseases.

Separation and purification are two essential steps in the research and development of functional components in foods and herbs. However, foods and herbs usually contain a wide variety of chemical constituents and the abundance of target ingredients is low in many cases, thus representing a great challenge in the separation and purification of functional components. As a result, innovative methods and efficient techniques (e.g., green extraction) are critical in the separation and purification of functional components. The protocols of extraction and recovery should be environmentally friendly and cost-effective. In particular, they should not destroy the natural properties and health benefits of functional components. Cordially, we invite you to contribute your research article, communication or review to this Special Issue; this should address the separation and purification of the functional components of foods and herbs, and their physicochemical properties, health benefits or biological activities.

Prof. Dr. Huafeng Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net 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. Separations 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 2600 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.

• separation and purification
• functional components
• bioactive substances
• green extraction
• quantitative analysis
• health benefits
• biological activities