Engineering Shelf-Stable Functional Food Powders: Connecting Processing, Microstructure, and In Vitro Digestion

The field of functional food development has seen rapid advancement, particularly with the shift toward shelf-stable powders designed to support sustainable diets. Many efforts center on leveraging advanced processing techniques, such as drying, fermentation, and protein modification, to create stable food forms that retain bioactive compounds during storage. These innovations meet consumer demand for convenient, long-lasting nutrition with added health benefits, yet persistent questions remain regarding how these choices impact the nutritional value ultimately accessible to the body after digestion. Ongoing debates focus on the fate of micronutrients and bioactive components post-processing, and how food structure and storage conditions either preserve or diminish health-promoting functions. Recent studies employing in vitro digestion models have revealed significant variability in bioaccessibility related to different processing routes, but there is still a need for systematic research to map precise links among production steps, physical stability, and nutritional efficacy.This Research Topic aims to clarify the interplay between processing methods, the resulting microstructure and stability of shelf-stable food powders, and the ultimate bioaccessibility of health-promoting compounds assessed through standardized in vitro models. The objective is to identify optimal pathways that not only ensure shelf life and convenience but also maximize the retention and delivery of key functional components, such as phenolics, minerals, and bioactive peptides, during digestion. By generating robust, mechanistically informed evidence, this work intends to shape new, more sustainable food design strategies that deliver both stability and enhanced health benefits.To gather further insights into the dynamic relationships among processing, structural features, and digestibility, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Impact of different drying and stabilization techniques on nutrient retention and microstructure• Role of fermentation and protein modification on functional attributes and health bioactivity• Particle and matrix properties governing moisture management and shelf stability• In vitro digestion modeling for assessing bioaccessibility and bioefficacy of key compounds• Comparative studies of conventional and emerging processing routes for sustainable functional powders• Interactions between food matrix composition and digestive release dynamics• Strategies to integrate environmental sustainability with nutritional optimization in food powder designWe encourage submissions of original research, review articles, perspectives, and methodological papers relevant to the scope of this Research Topic. Topic editors: Ceren MUTLU, Volkan Aylanc, Claudia Pașca Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78605/engineering-shelf-stable-functional-food-powders-connecting-processing-microstructure-and-in-vitro-digestion