Physiological, Genetic, and Structural Determinants of Functional Compound Accumulation and Valorisation in Cereal Grains and By-Products

Cereal crops such as wheat, rice, barley, and maize are essential to global nutrition and generate large quantities of processing by-products such as bran, germ, and husk that are naturally enriched in bioactive and functional compounds. The value of these metabolites, including phenolics, dietary fibres, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals, depends on their abundance, localisation within tissues, physiological stability, and accessibility for extraction. However, the mechanistic bases governing their synthesis, deposition, compartmentation, and extractability remain insufficiently understood, limiting the sustainable and optimised valorisation of cereal by-productsRecent evidence demonstrates that genotype, developmental stage, crop physiology, and tissue anatomy together with environmental and management factors (G × E × M) strongly shape the profiles of bioactive compounds in grains and related tissues. Abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, or nutrient limitation, along with agronomic practices and post-harvest conditions, further modulate metabolic pathways and structural features influencing metabolite accumulation. Despite substantial progress driven by advanced phenotyping and multi-omics tools, integrated physiological studies across spatial and temporal scales are still needed to inform breeding, agronomy, and processing approaches aimed at enhancing functional compound recovery.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how genetic, metabolic, anatomical, and physiological determinants combined with environmental, management, and extraction factors govern the quantity, quality, and valorisation potential of functional compounds in cereal grains and their by-products. By encouraging interdisciplinary research at the interface of crop physiology, metabolism, stress biology, tissue structure, and extraction science, this Topic seeks to connect fundamental plant biology with applied strategies for the sustainable development of value-added functional ingredients and novel products.We welcome contributions including, but not limited to:• Genetic and physiological regulation of functional and bioactive compound accumulation• Metabolic and physiological responses to abiotic stress and management affecting functional compound production• Localisation, accessibility, and extractability of bioactive compounds in relation to tissue and cell-wall architecture• Genotype × environment × management (G × E × M) effects on compound profiles and valorisation potential• Post-harvest physiology and stability of functional compounds in grains and by-products• Multi-omics, imaging, and phenotyping approaches linking plant traits to functional compound abundance and composition• Crop-based strategies for increasing the value of cereal by-products (breeding, agronomy, biotechnology)We encourage Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Methods, and Perspectives contributing to the physiological and mechanistic understanding of functional compound valorisation from cereal crops and their by-products. Topic editors: Ines Yacoubi, Mohd. Kamran Khan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77377/physiological-genetic-and-structural-determinants-of-functional-compound-accumulation-and-valorisation-in-cereal-grains-and-by-products