Aug 2026· Frontiers in Nutrition· 0 citations· 139 references
Abstract
Food characterization is fundamental to ensuring food quality, safety, authenticity, traceability, and nutritional value in increasingly complex global food systems. Conventional analytical approaches often provide limited information on the molecular complexity of food matrices, necessitating the adoption of advanced, high-throughput technologies. Omics sciences, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and microbiomics, have emerged as powerful tools for comprehensive food characterization by enabling the large-scale analysis of genes, transcripts, proteins, metabolites, lipids, and microbial communities. The integration of these disciplines within the framework of foodomics has transformed food research from conventional assessments to systems-level investigations of food composition, functionality, and biological effects. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the major omics platforms and their applications in food quality evaluation, authenticity verification, safety monitoring, traceability, and nutritional assessment. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of multi-omics approaches in identifying molecular biomarkers associated with food origin, processing, adulteration, and health-promoting attributes. Advances in analytical technologies, including high-resolution mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and next-generation sequencing, are discussed in the context of foodomics workflows. Furthermore, the integration of chemometrics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with omics datasets is examined as a means of improving data interpretation, predictive modeling, and real-time decision-making throughout the food supply chain. The review also highlights current challenges related to data integration, standardization, analytical reproducibility, and bioinformatics infrastructure, while outlining emerging opportunities in precision nutrition, digital food systems, and sustainable food production. By synthesizing recent developments across multiple omics disciplines, this review underscores the pivotal role of foodomics and multi-omics strategies in advancing comprehensive food characterization and supporting the development of safer, more authentic, and nutritionally optimized food systems.
The global protein transition is accelerating the development of alternative protein foods, mainly derived from plants, insects, algae, fungi, and cellular agriculture. Ensuring the authenticity, safety, and nutritional adequacy of these emerging protein matrices requires molecular-level characterization beyond traditional compositional analyses. Proteomics and peptidomics have emerged as transformative analytical platforms capable of decoding the molecular signatures that define protein origin, structural integrity, digestibility, functionality, and health potential. The review comprehensively examines the application of proteomics, and peptidomics for profiling alternative protein foods. Further, the source authentication strategies based on species-specific protein and peptide biomarkers, detection of adulteration in complex matrices, and allergenicity assessment is discussed. Special attention is also given to nutritional proteomics with protein digestibility, gastrointestinal peptide release, and identification of bioactive sequences. SIGNIFICANCE: The importance of this review is that proteomics and peptidomics are becoming central in the management of the fast-growing environment of alternative protein foods, such as plant-based, insect, algal, fungal, and cultured meat products. It provides an explanation of the application of mass spectrometry-based processes to decode molecular signatures defining the origin of proteins, their structural integrity, digestibility, allergenicity, and bioactive properties, and thus directly contribute to safety, nutritional analysis, and authenticity of the product. Presentation of the article includes the integration of the knowledge of traditional muscle foods with alternative systems of proteins, where validated protein and peptide biomarkers are used in authentication, fraud detection, and allergy risk assessment in a wide variety of matrices. It also indicates the role of nutritional proteomics and peptidomics in informing the formulation strategy to promote digestibility and release of health-promoting peptides. In general, this review will guide scientists, the food industry, and regulations to use modern proteomic technologies in quality assurance, regulation decision-making, and the development of sustainable protein foods.
Rituparna Banerjee, P. K. Nanda, Laura Alessandroni et al.· Journal of Proteomics· 0 citations
Flavor is a key determinant of food quality, and elucidating its formation mechanisms is of great significance for product optimization and satisfying consumer preferences. Traditional sensory analysis is inherently subjective, while instrumental analysis can objectively assess flavor components but provides limited insight into the formation mechanisms. This article adopts a narrative literature review to summarize the applications of omics technologies in food flavor research in recent years. It focuses on genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and multi-omics technologies. It points out that current studies remain largely confined to identifying differential molecular features, lacking in-depth exploration from molecular interactions to causal mechanisms. At the same time, single-omics methods can only provide partial information and cannot capture the multi-level regulatory networks of flavor formation. A causal inference framework for analyzing flavor mechanisms at the omics level through multi-omics integration and intervention experiments has been proposed. It emphasizes that artificial intelligence technology provides a promising solution for the interactive analysis of complex multi-omics datasets. Future research should focus on developing low-cost, high-throughput real-time analysis methods, cross-omics data fusion strategies, and the rigorous exploration of scientific causal relationships.
Yi Xiao, Xiulian Wang, Jia Zhang et al.· Foods· 0 citations
Despite the challenges in standardization, cost, and large-scale validation, advances in artificial intelligence, portable analytics, and open access omics data bases are accelerating the translation of these technologies into practical feed innovation.
Mir Ishfaq Nazir, Pankaj Gargotra, O. Asimi et al.· Frontiers in Fish Science· 0 citations
Through multi-omics integration, multi-omics approaches reveal nutrient differences driven by species, rearing practices, and processing techniques, identify protein patterns and allergen profiles, and construct adulteration detection fingerprints and species-specific peptide markers, thereby improving the timeliness and accuracy of safety assessment.
ABSTRACT The functional food industry has increasingly focused on postbiotics due to challenges associated with maintaining probiotic viability and safety concerns in immunocompromised individuals. Postbiotics are defined as inanimate microbial cells and/or their metabolites that do not require viability but retain health promoting properties and technological stability. This stability has positioned postbiotics as promising alternative ingredients for food engineering applications where processing robustness is critical. This review provides a comprehensive, engineering‐oriented evaluation of postbiotics as next‐generation functional food ingredients. Current definitions and classification schemes are first summarized, followed by an assessment of how innovative thermal and non‐thermal production methods can be integrated into food processing systems. Analytical and advanced characterization techniques used for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of postbiotics in food matrices are then examined, alongside a comparison of the technological advantages and safety profiles of postbiotics relative to probiotics. Applications across different food matrices are reviewed and summarized in detailed tables, and commercially available postbiotic products are compiled together with their key specifications. Major challenges limiting broader industrial adoption are also addressed, including interactions with food components, the absence of standardized inactivation protocols, regulatory uncertainties, and the lack of harmonized industrial‐scale production methods. By consolidating these dimensions, this review identifies key research gaps, particularly the need for standardized inactivation and characterization protocols that can support regulatory alignment and evidence‐based health claims and outlines future directions to improve process efficiency and support the development of safe, sustainable postbiotic‐based foods.
Tansu Taspinar, N. Güzeler· Food Science & Nutrition· 0 citations
Astaxanthin is a high-value xanthophyll carotenoid known for its antioxidant activity and potential health benefits that is becoming increasingly important in food, nutraceutical, and health-related applications. In recent years, growing interest in natural bioactive compounds has driven research on astaxanthin sources, bioactivity, functional properties, and its applications in food, nutraceutical, and health-related subjects. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the natural sources, extraction methods, stability, biological activities, and food applications of astaxanthin, with particular attention to challenges and opportunities relevant to food systems. The review discusses a food science-oriented perspective that connects molecular properties and biological functionality with processing stability, formulation strategies, and regulatory considerations. Special emphasis is given to emerging extraction and encapsulation methods, interactions with complex food matrices, and technological limitations affecting bioavailability and consumer acceptance. The review also highlights recent advances in sustainable production, valorization of marine by-products, and the potential role of astaxanthin in personalized nutrition and precision health frameworks. These approaches contribute to circular food systems by reducing food-processing waste, replacing synthetic antioxidants with natural alternatives, and supporting more resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable food production.
Toni Jurić Šolto, Martina Čagalj, Vida Šimat· Sustainability· 0 citations