International Journal of Food Properties

The food industry uses a significant amount of water and energy during the transformation of raw materials into edible foods and ingredients for food products. There is a significant amount of waste and by-product generation during this transformation. With the increasing world population and scarcity of resources, it is essential to reduce those inputs, environmental impact, and waste. In order to use newer technologies for manufacturing of nutritious foods from relatively new raw materials, research on their physico-chemical, biological, and nutritional properties will help in the production and scale-up of new products. Furthermore, consumers demand more protein-based foods from plants with the reduction in waste. Several raw materials have been gaining popularity for future foods, such as fruit pomace, distillers’ spent grains, bean sprouts, grasses, algae, and insects. Foods produced from these ingredients must be nutritious, and consumer acceptability.

The world population by 2050 will likely be nine billion people to feed. Our planet is already under stress due to climate change and growing demand for resources. As our climate changes, so will the ways to produce more healthy and delicious food while sustaining the environment. The quality and quantity of foods consumed are critical to health and well-being. The United Nations reports that there are still over 820 million people globally who suffer from hunger, while the World Health Organization estimates that there are nearly 2 billion people suffering from micronutrient deficiency (ourworldindata.org). The consumption of animal-based foods has increased in the past several years, which leads to more greenhouse gas production, land use, water use, and pollution than plant-based ones. Moreover, many animal-based and highly processed foods have adverse effects on human health and well-being. Consumers are therefore being encouraged to consume more plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, and legumes. In addition, people have become aware of food waste, especially the type of raw materials that have high nutrient value but are by-products of particular processing methods. Consequently, there is a need for the food industry to create a new generation of processed foods that are desirable, tasty, inexpensive, and convenient, but that are also healthy and sustainable. The industry has to reduce food waste by upcycling or creating new palatable products. Many foods eaten in the future do not yet exist. These days, there is constant tinkering with plant and animal ingredients, processed foods, and even packaging, to improve flavor and nutrition.

Properties of foods related to the development of new technologies and products including by-product utilization, eco-friendly technologies, and sustainability. This issue will cover physico-chemical, nutritional, and biological properties relevant to the processing and scale-up of under-utilized foods, and new sources of food products or ingredients. The contributions will include, but not be limited to the following areas:

• Properties and functionality of the ingredients or food products from alternative sources, such as insects, algae, by-products of food processing or food waste, and plant-based proteins as meat analog
• Emphasis on the properties of food ingredients and final products when using new technologies, such as 3-D printing, machine learning, and sustainable packaging
• Focus on food properties in relation to digestion and consumer acceptance

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After receiving his Ph.D. in 1983, Dr. Rakesh K. Singh served at three major universities as a faculty and administrator. He was head of food science and technology at the University of Georgia from 2001 to 2020, and now a full Professor in the same department. His research focus is on emerging technologies for food processing – specifically quality improvement and foodborne pathogen reduction. His recent projects include continuous high-pressure processing of juices, radiofrequency use for processing of low-water activity powders, infrared heating for peanut blanching and baking of products that are normally fried, cold plasma application in foods, and UV/H₂O₂ for aflatoxin reduction in grains. He has published 197 scholarly-refereed journal articles, 4 books and 33 book chapters. He is the Editor in Chief of LWT-Food Science & Technology and serves on the editorial board of International Journal of Food Properties and International Dairy Journal. He is Fellow of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), received the 2009 Elizabeth Fleming Stier award from the IFT, 2020 Fellow of International Academy of Food Science & Technology, 2020 Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (India), and 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from International Association of Engineering & Food.

Dr. Fanbin Kong earned a Ph.D. degree in Food Engineering at Washington State University in 2007, followed by post-doctoral research at UC Davis. He joined UGA in 2011 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2016, and full Professor in 2021. His current research includes designing human gastrointestinal models, studying the digestion of food and non-food materials, and innovating novel food pasteurization technologies. He has published more than one hundred papers in peer-reviewed journals.

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