Circular Economy in Lipid Science: Upcycling and Stabilizing Omega-3 Oils for Food and Nutraceutical Applications

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are central to nutrition science and dietary guidance, yet omega-3–rich oils are exceptionally prone to oxidation. Oxidative deterioration can reduce nutritional quality, impair sensory attributes, and limit the feasibility of incorporating omega-3s into mainstream foods and nutraceuticals. In parallel, pressure to reduce waste and environmental footprint is accelerating circular economy approaches in lipid science—recovering valuable omega-3 lipids and co-products from underutilized biomass and side streams while maintaining quality and safety at scale.This Research Topic, “Circular Economy in Lipid Science: Upcycling and Stabilizing Omega-3 Oils for Industrial Applications,” aims to advance sustainable, scalable pathways to produce stable, nutrition-relevant omega-3 ingredients from circular feedstocks. We seek research that links green extraction and upcycling strategies with practical stabilization and delivery solutions suitable for industrial implementation. The goal is to enable omega-3 oils and concentrates that retain nutritional functionality and consumer acceptability while supporting resource efficiency, reduced solvent use, and lower waste across the value chain.Key themes of interest: • Green extraction and processing technologies for omega-3 recovery and quality preservation, including supercritical CO enzyme-assisted extraction, and related low-solvent/low-energy approaches; studies comparing yield, oxidative status, and nutritional integrity are encouraged.• Upcycling fish-processing by-products (e.g., heads, frames, skin, viscera) into high-value omega-3 oils and nutraceutical ingredients, including characterization of lipid composition, oxidation markers, and strategies to manage pro-oxidants and quality variability.• Natural antioxidants from agri-food waste streams (e.g., fruit peels, herb stalks, pomace) and their application to stabilize omega-3 systems; work on extraction/standardization of antioxidant fractions, synergistic formulations, and performance in realistic matrices is welcome.• Scalability of microencapsulation and industrial stabilization, including spray-drying and other scalable encapsulation/coating methods, with attention to process robustness, shelf-life performance, sensory protection, and preservation of omega-3 nutritional value in industrial product formats.• Marine-derived lipid ingredients from by-products, focusing on composition, bioactive compounds, and their role in improving human nutrition and metabolic health. Topic editors: Alvaro Perez, Priyanka Kumari Singh Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78721/circular-economy-in-lipid-science-upcycling-and-stabilizing-omega-3-oils-for-food-and-nutraceutical-applications