Nutritional and Pharmacological Potential of Bioactive Compounds Present in Wild Edible Plants and Their Utilization in Food Industry to Achieve Zero Hunger Goal of Sustainable Development

The adoption of wild edible plants as a source of bioactive molecules has gained prominence due to the escalation of antibiotic resistance and the adverse effects of pharmaceuticals at high concentrations. The search for natural therapeutic agents has led researchers to focus on a variety of compounds including flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyphenols, which exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial and pharmaceutical benefits. These natural compounds provide potential alternatives to synthetic medications for treating infections and chronic diseases, as well as offering substantial health support. There is a critical need to further explore the efficacy of these bioactive molecules and understand their mechanisms of action to validate their use in the food and pharmaceutical industries within a sustainable global framework.

This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding and application of bioactive molecules extracted from wild edible plants for pharmaceutical and therapeutic use. It focuses on bridging the gap between traditional plant-based remedies and modern scientific validation, offering new avenues for drug development and disease prevention that are both effective and ecologically responsible. To enhance food safety, this research topic will also investigate the application of these bioactive compounds in combating foodborne pathogens and improving food preservation techniques, exploring how these natural compounds can be effectively integrated into the food supply chain to maintain food quality, extend shelf life, and reduce reliance on chemical preservatives.

To achieve comprehensive insights in this area, we are open to contributions that encompass but are not limited to the following themes:
• Isolation and extraction techniques for bioactive compounds from edible plants
• Characterization of antimicrobial and pharmaceutical properties
• Mechanistic studies on the modes of action of plant-derived molecules
• Application of bioactive compounds in food preservation and safety
• Assessing the potential of these molecules in drug development and disease prevention
• Comparative analyses of bioactive molecules from different plant sources
• Innovations in enhancing the bioavailability and efficacy of plant-derived compounds
• Application of bioactive compounds in food preservation and safety

This collection encourages submissions of original research, review articles, and case studies that align with the journal's mission to contribute to the understanding of natural bioactive compounds in improving health outcomes and food systems, as well as exploring the safety implications of incorporating these compounds into food products within the framework of sustainability, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation across various scientific fields.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Bioactive Molecules, Wild edible plants, Nutraceuticals, Nutrition

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.