Ensuring Safety in Plant-Based Nutraceuticals: Addressing Microbial Contamination

The field of plant-based nutraceuticals has gained significant attention due to their proposed health benefits and natural origins. As these products become more popular, there is an urgent need to address bacterial contamination that poses a threat to their safety and efficacy. Currently, this area of research focuses on understanding bacterial contaminants, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium botulinum, during the stages of cultivation, processing, and storage. Existing studies reveal gaps in the knowledge concerning effective antimicrobial treatments and highlight the limitations in current prevention strategies, suggesting a need for further research on innovative solutions.

This Research Topic aims to enhance the safety and quality of plant-based nutraceuticals by identifying and addressing microbial contamination risks. The primary objective is to evaluate the potential sources of contamination and its impact on consumer health, as well as to assess existing detection and prevention methods. The research will explore advanced antimicrobial treatments, biosecurity measures, and improved quality assurance protocols, with the goal of developing safer nutraceutical standards that bolster public health and consumer satisfaction.

To gather further insights in preventing microbial contamination, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Identification and characterization of bacterial threats in plant-based nutraceutical production.
o Evaluation and comparison of existing and novel antimicrobial treatments.
o Assessment of biosecurity practices and their effectiveness in contamination prevention.
o Advances in quality assurance protocols for the nutraceutical industry.

We invite a diverse range of article, all contributing to the advancement of safe and effective plant-based nutraceuticals.

Article types and fees

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

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... 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:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Plant-based nutraceuticals, Microbial contamination, Bacterial threats, Antimicrobial treatments, Biosecurity practices, Quality assurance, Nutraceutical safety standards, Public health, Natural health products

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.