Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms that represent an extremely important component of the aquatic ecosystem productivity, diversity, and functioning. Moreover, these microorganisms, using a network of signals, interact with all the other organisms present in their environment. Signals are often secondary metabolites that play an important role in competition, defense, attraction, and signaling. These molecules are recognized for having bioactive properties, but some of them are still largely underexplored and underexploited. This Special Issue focuses on studies aimed to improve knowledge on microalgal ecology (diversity and dynamics) in aquatic ecosystems, as well as on their capacity to produce bioactive compounds with potential biotechnological applications.

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The externalization of animals’ genetic potential is determined by a number of external factors, of which feeding plays a major role. Animal nourishment is one of the most important levers in ensuring the efficiency of animal production due to both the high share of feed costs in the total cost of products and the influence this has on the growth, reproduction, and health of animals, as well as the quality of products obtained from them. This particular field is one of the most dynamic in the field of husbandry sciences due to the continuous acquisition and use of numerous results obtained from studies on energy metabolism and nutrients, related to the composition of feed and its influence on animal products. This is also due to the great advances made in genetics with the creation of new types of animals with increasing productive potential and different food requirements. The following Special Issue is dedicated to interdisciplinary studies on animal nutrition, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, reproduction, and breeding technologies. The articles contained herein cover a wide range of topics related to feed quality, the influence of food on production levels, the quality of production, and their influence on animal health.

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This includes 17 original research articles and focuses on the knowledge on the effects of dietary antioxidants on host health and performance of production animals, including livestock, poultry and fish. It provides various nutritional approaches to improve antioxidant capacity and benefit host health in animal production. Production animals exposed to air pollution, heavy metals, or other stressful conditions can experience oxidative stress that may suppress animal health, performance, and production, subsequently impacting economic feasibility; hence, maintaining and improving oxidative status, especially through an appropriate nutrition strategy, are essential for normal physiological processes in animals. Promising research results have revealed that the administration of natural or synthetic antioxidants in an animal’s diet may be an important strategy to mitigate the negative influence induced by oxidative stress conditions. The Special Issue has been conceived to set out the knowledge on the effects of dietary antioxidants on host health and performance of production animals. It provides various nutritional approaches, mainly including vitamins, plant extracts, trace elements, non-essential amino acids, etc., to improve antioxidant capacity and benefit host health in livestock, poultry and fish. This book will encourage more scientists to move forward on the path to increasing knowledge on the effect of natural or synthetic antioxidants on the growth and health of production animals.

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The exposure of animals to environmental stresses (restraint, bad housing conditions, irradiation, pollution, diseases, and heat stress) and endogenous stresses (metabolic and physiological disorders) can seriously disrupt the redox homeostasis, leading to impairments in animals’ health and overall performance. Under these circumstances, the self-antioxidant defense system may not be enough to neutralize ROS effects. In this context, the utilization of an exogenous source of antioxidants, mainly dietary sources, may present an effective and cost-effective solution. There are a plethora of substances, either naturally occurring or synthesized (organic acids, minerals, vitamins, hormones, and specific feed additives originating from plants such as essential oils and polyphenols), known for their antioxidant activity, that can be used to maintain adequate redox status in animals in order to preserve their well-being and/or productivity. This area of research still needs more investigations in order to clearly elucidate the effective antioxidant substances that could be used in practical applications, with an emphasis on their biological mechanisms during different physiological conditions and health statuses. We intend to bring together current research concerning the role of antioxidant substances either from natural sources or those synthesized for improving animal production, reproduction, health, and welfare.

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This book examines the state of the art of biosorption as an economical and environmentally friendly technique for pollutant removal in wastewater. Several articles are included that develop the applications of biosorption showing the high efficiency and versatility of this process, as well as showing recent advances in this field. Different modalities of biosorption are demonstrated from free biomass to immobilized biomass, as well as the combination of biomass with modern materials to form composites, emphasizing the significant versatility of this technique. In addition, different examples with biomasses of very different natures are also included and discussed, as are the factors that influence biosorption processes. Other contributions offer some examples of apparently useless materials that are reused and applied in the elimination of pollutants. Therefore, this book is an excellent complement for those researchers who work on biosorption as well as a starting point for those who want to begin research on this topic.

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Biocatalysis, that is, the use of biological catalysts (enzymes, cells, etc.) for the preparation of highly valuable compounds is undergoing a great development, being considered an extremely sustainable approach to undertaking environmental demands. In this scenario, this book illustrates the versatility of applied biocatalysis for the preparation of drugs and other bioactive compounds through the presentation of different research articles and reviews, in which several authors describe the most recent developments in this appealing scientific area. By reading the excellent contributions gathered in this book, it is possible to have an updated idea about new advances and possibilities for a new exciting future.

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This Special Issue, “Biotechnology Applications of Microalgae”, is focused on the latest novel advances related to the production of different bioactive compounds from microalgae and their biotechnological use.

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This Special Issue focuses on feeding and feed technology advances and challenges in aquaculture. These are of particular interest since aquaculture and fisheries are considered crucial sources of animal protein in human diets, providing around 17% of global edible animal protein. Special attention is given to alternative sources of fish meal and how substitutions can influence the metabolism, immune response, and disease resistance of the targeted species. Moreover, the impact of plant extracts on growth performances, physiological responses, immunity, and intestinal health is addressed.

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This book addresses a key innovative technology for decarbonization of the energy system: hydrothermal processing. It basically consists of treating biomass and wastes in a wet form, under pressure and temperature condition. This approach is becoming more and more attractive, as new feedstock and applications are appearing on the scene of bioeconomy and bioenergy. The hydrothermal processing of various type of biomass, waste, and residues, thus, raised the interest of many researchers and companies around the world, together with downstream upgrading processes and technologies: solid products as biochar, for instance, or liquid ones as crude bioliquids, are finding new market opportunities in circular economy schemes. The Special Issue collects recent innovative research works in the field, from basic to applied research, as well as pilot industrial applications/demo. It is a valuable set of references for those investing time and effort in research in the field.

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Meat quality is associated with the chemical composition and metabolic state of skeletal muscle. This Special Issue aims to compile the recent literature with a focus on meat quality and pre-mortem factors that affect muscle metabolism. It includes nine research articles about various types of meat, as well as one review article about beef quality.

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The consumption of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, etc., is thought to be associated with reduced risk for many human diseases, including cancers. Recently, significant advances have been made in evaluating the efficacy of natural products (compounds from natural sources) against human diseases. The purpose of this Special Issue, “Natural Products and Disease Prevention, Relief and Treatment", was to collect manuscripts concerning natural products for treating human diseases. Consequently, we have collected several high-quality manuscripts that focus on the molecular mechanisms of natural products, including their anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, antifibrotic, and anticancer effects, as well as other health beneficial effects across a wide range of human diseases. Overall, this Special Issue is an excellent source for information on promising natural products for future preclinical and clinical research into multiple diseases.

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Nutraceuticals are a challenge for the future of prevention and therapy in healthcare. The possibility to prevent and/or support pharmacological therapy, which is nowadays mainly based on pharmaceuticals, can be a powerful tool to face pathological, chronic, long-term diseases in subjects who do not qualify for a pharmacological therapy. Nutraceuticals are obtained from vegetal or animal origin foods, and prospective research on these products will clarify their role, safety and efficacy by substantiating their role with clinical data. An effort to clarify their mechanism of action will open a door to the next generation of therapeutic agents that do not propose themselves as an alternative to drugs, but, instead, can be helpful to complement a pharmacological therapy, and to prevent the onset of chronical diseases. The market as well as the interest of people in naturally-derived remedies and less synthetic pharmaceuticals is growing, and the attention of the collective public imagination is nowadays more strongly focused on these food-derived products. This Special Issue is dedicated to the role of and perspectives on nutraceuticals in human health, examined from different angles ranging from analytical aspects to clinical trials, and from efficacy studies to beneficial effects on health conditions.

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Well-being is received increased attention from people, researchers, and physicians. The main goal is to prevent the onset of pathologic health issues instead of using conventional pharmacological approaches unless absolutely necessary. Prevention and well-being are closely linked to the wrong lifestyle and dietary habits, which can determine the onset of illness. Some health conditions can be prevented and treated with the use of nutraceuticals in daily diet. Nutraceuticals are pharmacologically active substances that can be extracted from vegetable or animal products, and concentrated and administered in a suitable pharmaceutical form. A nutraceutical can provide beneficial health effects, e.g., the prevention and/or, in some cases, the treatment of disease. The key aspect is defining the range of possible uses for these new food-drugs and substantiation with in vitro and in vivo clinical data that support their efficacy, safety, and health benefits. This Special Issue is dedicated to assessing the sources, composition, formulation, use, experience in clinical use, mechanisms of action, and clinical data of nutraceuticals, which represent a new horizon for therapy and provide valuable tools to reduce the cost of the healthcare system, addressing resources for prevention rather than pharmacological therapy.

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Food safety is a major problem around the world, both with regard to human suffering and with respect to economic costs. Scientific advances have increased our knowledge surrounding the nutritional characteristics of foods and their effects on health. This means that a large proportion of consumers are much more conscious with respect to what they eat and their demands for quality food. Food quality is a complex term that includes, in addition to safety, other intrinsic characteristics, such as appearance, color, texture and flavor, and also extrinsic characteristics, such as perception or involvement.

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Progressive changes in technology also cause changes in the methods used in food research, including microbiological aspects. The cooperation of research centers with industry is also important, as it poses new challenges to science. This reprint is devoted to the latest achievements in analytics, and to the application of new methods in food production technology. We present both original research and review articles focused on recent advanced technology in food science and microbiology, especially modern methods of the production and testing of food as well as the sustainable development of agriculture and the food industry. This topic will cover research on microbiological food ingredients and related topics such as microbial metabolites with application in food and feed as preservatives, texturants, and beneficial microorganisms, and methods to study and modify microbiota.

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A year after (two years from the beginning), with the completion of this third Special Issue on the Innovative Agri-food Supply Chain (IAFSC), the world is still changing, with serious regional troubles and disputes drastically affecting the global economy and growth. Innovation plays a vital role in modernizing the AFSC towards the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda set by United Nations in 2015 to achieve a sustainable future. Among other things, SDGs provide a basis to end poverty, eradicate hunger, protect the planet, and improve quality of life in the word, ensuring a balance between social, economic, and environmental sustainability. In this special edition, selected papers on the prospects, challenges, and sustainability of the Innovative AFSC in the new global economy are presented. The driving force of the chain remains, no doubt, the end users of the food, namely, the consumers. The topic of this Special Issue includes modern, state-of-the-art research topics on the subjects of the “primary sector” (five papers), “innovative foods” (one paper), food waste management (three papers), “consumers’ and stakeholders” perceptions of foods (four papers), and food diets (one paper). Overall, a total of 14 papers are presented in this issue.

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This Special Issue highlights the last decade’s progress regarding new nanostructured materials. In this regard, the development of nanoscale syntheses and innovative characterization tools resulted in the tailored design of nanostructured materials with versatile abilities in many applications were investigated. Various types of engineered nanostructures, usually metal nanoparticles or nanoporous metal oxides, have been synthesized for various applications. This Special Issue covers the state-of-the-art of advanced nanoparticles in many disciplines (chemistry, pharmacy, nano-medicine, agriculture, catalysis, and environmental science). The Special Issue entitled, Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Sustainable Advanced Nanomaterials, including 18 original research works, focuses on highlighting the progress, challenges, and future directions in the area of the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials and nanostructures with multiple applications in chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine [1-3].

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Natural products and the preparations based on them play a stable and ever-increasing role in human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, in food and the cosmetic industry, and in an increasing number of other fields. Their importance is based on the fact that they are mostly bound to renewable sources, which in fact makes them valuable within a circular economy, inter alia. At the same time, natural products provide the origin of stereochemistry, optical activity, regioselectivity, chirality, and many other concepts and directions within science, development, and industry in a scope, which is indispensable. They serve as a constant powerful stimulus and model that inspires researchers to create new effective tools, similar to natural ones, for controlling bioregulation mechanisms and solving practical problems. This was the reason for organizing this Special Issue aimed at underlining the current developments in all the fields connected to natural products.

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Oxidative stress causes chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer, chronic obstructive pulmonary, and neurodegenerative pathologies. Antioxidant systems defend human cells from free radicals. They act by stopping free radicals, decreasing their development, and quenching the formed ROS and RNS. The antioxidant molecules are classified into primary and secondary defense molecules. The primary antioxidant molecules (i.e., vitamins C and E, ubiquinone, and glutathione) reduce oxidation effects by moving a proton to the free radical species or electron donors, or by terminating the chain reactions The secondary antioxidants (i.e., N-acetyl cysteine and lipoic acid) act as cofactors for some enzyme systems or neutralize the production of free radicals by transition metals. This work comprises original research papers and reviews on antioxidant molecules in food, the agricultural practices that maximize their levels in plants, the potential preventive effects of selected classes of antioxidant molecules, their potential use in functional foods, and the pharmaceutical delivery systems that maximize their potential activity when used as supplements.

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