Special Issue on Bio-based Production of Functional Food Ingredients (BPFFI)
Published 31 March, 2026
The Special Issue invites original research articles and comprehensive reviews on bio-based production of functional food ingredients, including: vitamins, functional amino acids, functional polypeptides, functional proteins, dietary fibre, bioactive sugars, natural flavourflavours and fragrances, and bio-based food preservatives.
Guest editors:
Dawei Zhang
Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Email: zhang_dw@tib.cas.cn
Professor Dawei Zhang has long been engaged in research in the fields of food synthetic biology, nutrient biosynthesis, biochemical engineering, and synthetic biological engineering. He has published over 100 papers and applied for 98 invention patents. He served as the chief editor of Biosynthesis of Vitamins. He has received numerous honors and grants, including the 2023 National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the 2018 Tianjin Leading Talent in Science and Technology Innovation, and the 2017 inaugural Tianjin Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. He was awarded the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress by the China National Light Industry Council in 2025 (first author), the 2025 Tianjin Patent Gold Award (first author), the 2021 Tianjin Science and Technology Progress First Prize (first author), the 2021 China National Light Industry Council Science and Technology Progress Second Prize (first author), and the 2018 China Industry-University-Research Cooperation "Innovation Award" (individual award).
Congqiang Zhang
Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Email: congqiang_zhang@a-star.edu.sg
Dr. Congqiang Zhang is a Principal Investigator and Group Leader at SIFBI, A*STAR, with a PhD from a joint National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) program. He leads research in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, with 40+ peer-reviewed publications, 13 international patents, and over S$12 million in competitive and industrial research funding. He serves as Secretary of the BioEnergy Society of Singapore and is a co-investigator in the Singapore–France and Singapore–Australia bilateral research programs. He also contributes to the scientific community as Associate Editor of Advanced Biotechnology, and editor of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, and Engineering Microbiology.
Special issue information:
As the global emphasis on green and sustainable development grows, so too does consumer demand for healthy food products. In response, the food industry is advancing from "ensuring safe supply" towards "pursuing nutritional quality", while shifting from "reliance on chemical synthesis" to "embracing green biomanufacturing".
Against this backdrop, "Bio-based Production of Functional Food Ingredients" has emerged as a core driver of high-quality advancement in the food and health industry. This approach integrates synthetic biology, microbial technology, enzyme engineering, and green economy principles, redefining the production model for functional food components.
Bio-based manufacturing utilizes renewable, food-safe biomass, such as corn starch sugar, as core raw materials. Leveraging green, low-carbon technologies like microbial fermentation and enzymatic catalysis, it efficiently produces food ingredients with multi-functions including nutrition, health benefits, flavour modulation, and preservation. Compared to traditional chemical synthesis methods, this technology offers several advantages, including environmental friendliness, high product safety, and controllable production processes. It also aligns with global low-carbon development strategies and meets the growing consumer demand for "natural, healthy, clean-label" food products, thereby laying a solid foundation for the development of the functional food industry.
This Special Issue brings together the latest research in the field of Bio-based Production of Food Functional Ingredients. We believe that bio-based production of food functional ingredients will not only accelerate the green transformation of the food industry but also inject lasting innovative vitality into the food health sector, helping to achieve the dual goals of ecological sustainability and improved human health.
This Special Issue focuses on, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The efficient biosynthesis of widely used functional food ingredients and nutrients (e.g., vitamins, functional amino acids, functional proteins, dietary fiber, functional polypeptides, healthy sugars, natural flavour substances, flavours and fragrances, and bio-based food preservatives)—driven by synthetic biology and artificial intelligence (AI).
- The construction and technological innovation of microbial cell factories for food functional ingredients manufacturing.
- The application of enzymatic catalysis and cell-free synthesis systems in the production of high-value functional components.
- Challenges in scaling up of bio-based production technologies and prospects for industrial applications.
Manuscript submission information:
Authors are encouraged to submit their papers via https://www.editorialmanager.com/foodw/Default.aspx and make sure to select the article type "VSI: BPFFI" when submitting.
The submission portal will be open until the 30 September 2026.
If you have any queries, please contact the above Editors directly.
