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Journals in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

  • Clinical Nutrition ESPEN

    • ISSN: 2212-8263
    Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is an electronic-only journal and is an official publication of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).Nutrition and nutritional care have gained wide clinical and scientific interest during the past decades. The increasing knowledge of metabolic disturbances and nutritional assessment in chronic and acute diseases has stimulated rapid advances in design, development and clinical application of nutritional therapy. The aims of ESPEN are to encourage the rapid diffusion of knowledge and its application in the field of clinical nutrition and metabolism.Published bimonthly, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN focuses on publishing articles on the relationship between nutrition and disease in the setting of basic science and clinical nutrition. Original articles, scoping and systematic reviews, metaanalyses, as well as educational papers, are welcomed.Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is available to all members of ESPEN and to all subscribers of Clinical Nutrition.
  • Livestock Science

    • ISSN: 1871-1413
    Livestock Science promotes the sound development of the livestock sector by publishing original, peer-reviewed research and review articles covering all aspects of the broad field of animal production and animal science. The journal welcomes submissions on the avant-garde areas of animal genetics, breeding, growth, reproduction, nutrition, physiology, and behaviour in addition to genetic resources, welfare, ethics, health, management and production systems. The high-quality content of this journal reflects the truly international nature of this broad area of research. Submissions focusing on diagnosis, disease treatments and epidemiology are not welcomed and works entirely based on either laboratory work or laboratory animals are only rarely considered. Papers presenting reviews and meta-analyses must ensure that they provide new insights to our readers. When the novelty of the research presented (including meta-analyses) is due to the methods used, authors are encouraged to classify their works as either Short Communications or Technical Notes. Although the use of commercial compounds is allowed, they must not be the basis of the research presented. Our board does not consider papers based on the use of drugs in experiments, such as antibiotics in animal nutrition or behaviour modifiers in animal breeding.
  • Small Ruminant Research

    • ISSN: 0921-4488
    Small Ruminant Research is focused on articles regarding small ruminants and is the official journal of the International Goat Association.Small Ruminant Research aims to publish original, basic and applied research articles. It publishes articles on goats, sheep, deer, and New and Old World camelids.The journal publishes topics including:• Nutrition • Physiology, • Genetics, • Microbiology, • Anatomy if associated with new research on function or production, • Ethology, • Product technology and consumer health effects, • Socio-economics, • Management, sustainability and environment, • Veterinary Medicine, • Husbandry Engineering.The primary focus of the journal is on domesticated small ruminants and camelids, but contributions on non-domesticated small ruminants and camelids may be considered if these have a clear direct or indirect relevance to farmed small ruminants and camelids.Further notes on editorial priority:Small Ruminant Research will consider studies on polymorphisms if they report novel findings and have direct relevance to those species described in the aims and scope of this journal. Manuscripts can include investigations into variation on different levels (e.g. genes, proteins, transcriptomes etc.). Associations studies involving single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), should link them strongly and experimentally to production traits. Associations of a single genetic variant with a single trait within one population without support of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) will normally not be considered for publication. Genetic diversity studies are welcome, but should include more than one or a few breeds with only local importance. Reports on allelic / genotypic frequencies or gene sequences that are not accompanied by novel genetic findings will not be considered. Manuscripts with quantitative RT-PCR without multiple normalizer gene products will be declined at preliminary review.Morphometric studies are not in our scope unless they are explicitly related with a production trait of small ruminants. Papers on the use of feeds in nutrition are publishable only if these feeds have more than local importance, which should be detailed in the introduction. In many studies of nutrition, the effect on animal performance of substituting a feed with another is investigated and the hypothesis is that no effect is anticipated. We recommend a power analysis to determine sample size before planning the study. If authors want to report that they have discovered no difference they should add confidence limits to the difference between the sample means: if the sample size is indeed too small, these limits will usually be too broad to be informative. If the authors' aim is to show no effect, then the usual rule for bioequivalence is that the 90%CI for the ratio between the two means needs to lie between 0.8 and 1.25. Authors need to clearly state the experimental unit and degrees of freedom for the error term. With nutrition papers involving feeding animals in paddocks or pens with more than one animal, it is the number of paddocks or pens which determines the experimental units, not the number of animals in total, unless it is demonstrated that each animal takes independent foraging decisions. Manuscripts that deal with the effects of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) or plant extracts using in-vitro methods only are not published, unless if associated to a large-scale, long-term in vivo study. In studies with PSMs or plant extracts, advanced chemical analysis of the extracts should be documented. In vitro studies of the nutritional value of feeds are not in our scope unless they provide a background for in vivo studies in the same manuscript. Studies of the quality of semen, oocytes, embryos, following exposure to various materials (plant extracts, anti-oxidants, fatty acids and diluents) will be considered only if they are associated with in vivo experimental evidence in the same submission. Studies on estrus synchronization protocols will be considered only if the protocol used is new and supported by hormonal analysis or other biochemical measurements. Estrous or anestrous period of the animals used, must be verified by hormonal analysis. Adapting protocols to new breed of animals has local importance but is not considered a novelty.In the field of health, case reports presenting work in individual animals will not be considered. Only case reports presenting population medicine approaches will be considered for further evaluation on the condition that they have wide implications, well beyond their local interest, and good statistical evidence. Studies examining the prevalence of disease are not in our scope, unless their implications are of interest to the international readership of Small Ruminant Research. Submissions must describe in detail how the presented information will enhance the management of small ruminants nationally or internationally. For products, we will consider studies on carcasses but not on the further processing of meat products for human food. Studies on the textile processing of fibres are also excluded. Studies on the manufacture of "milk products" as mixtures of milk components or fractionated milk with non-milk ingredients will not be considered for publication. Papers on production systems will be considered only if their results can be connected to concepts and knowledge published elsewhere and/or extend them to scale up in genericity. Therefore, descriptive papers on production systems and local projects without connection to global development issues will generally not be considered. Special attention is given to the quality of methodological approaches and bibliographical references.
  • Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre

    • ISSN: 2212-6198
    Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre is intended to be an international journal focused on dietary fibre, and bioactive carbohydrates (including bioactive polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and glycoproteins. It will include original studies and comprehensive reviews on the primary structure, molecular characteristics including conformation, size and shape, and bioactivities demonstrated by studies using in vitro, cell culture, animal and human clinical trials for understanding the action mechanisms and efficacy of bioactive carbohydrates from plants, fungi, animals and produced by biotechnology.Specif... bioactivities such as reducing serum cholesterol, modulating blood glucose and insulin levels, fermentability in the gastrointestinal track, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immune regulatory and anti-oxidant activities demonstrated by these bioactive carbohydrates are the main focus of this journal. It also covers the areas of interaction of dietary fibres, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides and glycoproteins with food matrices which may enhance or alter their efficacy, shelf-life stability of the bioactivities.Papers will cover such issues as: • Structural characterization of bioactive polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and glycoproteins • Conformation and molecular characteristics of bioactive polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and glycoproteins • Bioactivities of polysaccharides including: anti-cancer, immune modulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant etc • New anti-cancer polysaccharides from herbs • Recent advances in bioactive polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and glycoproteins • Analysis and physicochemical characterization of soluble and insoluble dietary fibre • Effects of dietary fibre on post-prandial blood glucose and/or insulin levels • Effect of dietary fibre on blood total and/or LDL cholesterol levels; • Effects of dietary fibre on gut function and ecology of microflora • Role of a diet rich in soluble fibre in reducing body weight • Development of dietary fibre industry • Animal and clinical trial studies • Updates on regulatory changes and legal constraints on nutritional dietary fibre and other food hydrocolloidsThe subject borders on medicine but is not a medical subject. The common factor for published papers is “bioactivity” and it's influence on health. Origin, husbanding, extraction, characterization, purification, cell culture, animal and clinical trials leading towards a medical or food supplemental applications will be considered. To be considered for this journal the research needs to cross-over from chemistry/biochemist... into biological investigation, with opportunities too for those who work on immune systems to contribute.Types of contribution: • Original research papers (full papers and short communications) • Invited reviews • Opinion pieces • Perspective commentaries.
  • Postharvest Biology and Technology

    • ISSN: 0925-5214
    Postharvest Biology and Technology is devoted exclusively to the publication of original papers, review articles and frontiers articles on biological and technological postharvest research of horticultural crops including fruit, vegetables, grapes, flowers, tea and nuts, but excluding grains, seeds, forages and spices.All aspects of postharvest research throughout the supply chain will be considered, including storage technologies, treatments and underpinning mechanisms, quality evaluation, packaging, handling, and distribution.The following research areas will be considered if they directly affect postharvest science: preharvest factors, ripening and senescence, product safety, systems biology, bioinformatics, entomology, plant physiology, plant pathology, (bio)chemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, engineering, modelling, economics, and technology development.Manuscri... on the effect of treatments on the storage life of a product should have a mechanistic component and must include research on the physiological effects and working principles of the treatments. Manuscripts that report on technological development must be related to the biological processes of the product and should include a strong relationship with postharvest biology and technology. These studies should also demonstrate robustness of use, with exploration of limiting factors, typically through assessments using populations from different growing or storage conditions, seasons, cultivars, etc. Manuscripts reporting novel fundamental and interdisciplinary research that addresses biological, technological, and socio-economic issues that impact technology acceptance, are encouraged.The focus of this journal is on fresh horticultural products. Manuscripts on products that will be further processed after postharvest storage, or on treatments beyond refrigeration, packaging and minimal processing will be considered but only if linked strongly to the quality and provenance of the products at the time of harvest.
  • Cells & Development

    • ISSN: 0925-4773
    Cell and Developmental Biology and their Quantitative approaches The Official Journal of The International Society of Developmental BiologistsCells & Development is an international journal covering the areas of cell biology and developmental biology. In addition to publishing work at the interphase of these two disciplines, we also publish work that is purely cell biology as well as classical developmental biology.C&D is the official journal of The International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB) which supports the world-wide community of developmental biologists.Cells & Development will consider papers in any area of cell biology or developmental biology, in any model system like animals and plants, using a variety of approaches, such as cellular, biomechanical, molecular, quantitative, computational and theoretical biology.Areas of particular interest include:Cell and tissue morphogenesisCell adhesion and migrationCell shape and polarityBiomechanics... modelling of cell and developmental biologyQuantitative biologyStem cell biologyCell differentiationCell proliferation and cell deathEvo-DevoMembran... trafficMetabolic regulationOrgan and organoid developmentRegenerat... at the interface of physics and biology often include theoretical work which is summarised in a short form in a Supplementary Text or Supplementary Theory. Authors may want to further describe, extend and give higher visibility to the theoretical work that they have published in this way. We are therefore pleased to announce that Cells & Development will now consider submissions of extended and more detailed versions of Supplementary Theory material published in other biological or generalist journals. To be considered, these articles must introduce significant additional material and discussion of previously published results. They must explicitly refer to the article where the Supplementary Theory text was originally published. Reproduction of the previously published figures or text materials should be minimal and appropriately referenced, in accordance with copyright requirements of the other journal.With this initiative, Cells & Development is aiming at promoting quantitative approaches to biology by giving the opportunity to theorists to better explain and highlight their contribution to multidisciplinary studies.Cells & Development does not publish descriptive studies of gene expression patterns and molecular screens; for submission of such studies see Gene Expression Patterns .
  • Cells & Development

    • ISSN: 2667-2901
    Cell and Developmental Biology and their Quantitative approaches The Official Journal of The International Society of Developmental BiologistsCells & Development is an international journal covering the areas of cell biology and developmental biology. In addition to publishing work at the interphase of these two disciplines, we also publish work that is purely cell biology as well as classical developmental biology.C&D is the official journal of The International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB) which supports the world-wide community of developmental biologists.Cells & Development will consider papers in any area of cell biology or developmental biology, in any model system like animals and plants, using a variety of approaches, such as cellular, biomechanical, molecular, quantitative, computational and theoretical biology.Areas of particular interest include:Cell and tissue morphogenesisCell adhesion and migrationCell shape and polarityBiomechanics... modelling of cell and developmental biologyQuantitative biologyStem cell biologyCell differentiationCell proliferation and cell deathEvo-DevoMembran... trafficMetabolic regulationOrgan and organoid developmentRegenerat... at the interface of physics and biology often include theoretical work which is summarised in a short form in a Supplementary Text or Supplementary Theory. Authors may want to further describe, extend and give higher visibility to the theoretical work that they have published in this way. We are therefore pleased to announce that Cells & Development will now consider submissions of extended and more detailed versions of Supplementary Theory material published in other biological or generalist journals. To be considered, these articles must introduce significant additional material and discussion of previously published results. They must explicitly refer to the article where the Supplementary Theory text was originally published. Reproduction of the previously published figures or text materials should be minimal and appropriately referenced, in accordance with copyright requirements of the other journal.With this initiative, Cells & Development is aiming at promoting quantitative approaches to biology by giving the opportunity to theorists to better explain and highlight their contribution to multidisciplinary studies.Cells & Development does not publish descriptive studies of gene expression patterns and molecular screens; for submission of such studies see Gene Expression Patterns .
  • Food Microbiology

    • ISSN: 0740-0020
    Food Microbiology publishes original research articles, short research communications, opinions, and review papers on all aspects of the microbiology of foods and food environments, including safety, shelf-life, diagnostics, ecology, and sensory attributes. The Journal aims to advance the microbiology of foods by discoveries, increasing knowledge, research tools, and concepts. The global audience includes academia, government, industry, and competent authorities. The journal considers articles dealing with the application, association, or prevention of viruses, bacteria, yeast, and molds related to foods or food environments through physical, biological, chemical, diagnostics, application of omics, or training/education. The application of advanced tools such as artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and omics is encouraged. The following categories and examples that are within the scope of Food Microbiology:Food processing: Papers that report on intervention methods (physical, biological or chemical) related to inactivation and control of microbes will be considered. The articles should demonstrate optimization (validation) and verification with relevant microbes for the food matrix being reported. The use of protective cultures, microbial metabolites, and bacteriophages, amongst others, will be considered provided efficacy is demonstrated within food systems. Studies relating to natural antimicrobials (for example, bacteriocins, phenolic compounds, or essential oils) can be included, although these should be chemically characterized and novel without simply confirming previous findings. Food fermentations: The ecology, performance, and functionality of fermented foods would be within the journal's scope provided the reported study can be replicated and results applied to define, improve, or contribute to the body of knowledge. Using omics to characterize, correlate, and/or identify populations or to study community assembly in fermented foods is encouraged. Findings of omics are preferably verified and not solely based on sequencing, metabolic profiles, and correlation software. Probiotic studies will be within scope but only if these relate to the interaction of stability within a food system rather than the gastrointestinal tract or effects on the immune system. Food processing environments: The prevalence of pathogens or spoilage microbes within the processing environment can be considered if linked to a production practice or process. The control of biofilms by bacterial strains or communities is within scope if evidence of biofilm formation within a simulated commercial environment exists. Biofilms formed on surfaces not encountered within food processing environments, such as microtiter plates, will not be considered. Pre-harvest microbiology of foods: Aspects of microbiology, ecology, and control of microbes encountered in animal or plant production that impact food safety and/or shelf-life are considered. Survey and prevalence studies: The prevalence of pathogens, including antimicrobial resistance, would be considered within the journal if sampled over a reasonable time period and geographical region and linked to a practice or procedure (for example, administration of antibiotics, cage-free production, amongst others). Risk assessment and predictive microbiology: Studies reporting on risk assessment or predictive microbiology, including the application of artificial intelligence, are within the journal's scope provided they relate to the activity of microbes within a food or processing environment. Microbiology diagnostics: Diagnostics, including biosensors, for detecting microbes are within scope provided they are tested using a sufficient spectrum of strains to assess selectivity and sensitivity. Detection of targets with relevant food systems should also be demonstrated. Food safety education and training tools: Training or teaching approaches and training tools can be considered, provided the learning approaches, methodological framework, delivery methods, and success metrics are provided. Fundamental research on the physiology, genetics, and/or transcriptome of food-derived isolates: Research that reports on the mechanisms of virulence, physiology, or regulation of microbes isolated from foods but not necessarily within a food system. Out of scope The following areas are out of scope for Food Microbiology:Microbi... that resides outside the food or food processing environments. Exceptions are fundamental genetics/physiology of food isolates in relation to virulence, stress resistance or food fermentation. Observations, non-hypothesis, driven research or studies that confirm previous published works. Preliminary studies that only report observations. Research supporting health claims of pre- or probiotics. Prevalence studies or surveys that don’t report on practices, process or cause of the observations. Control of phytopathogens. Drugs or treatments administered to animals, unless there is an impact on the carriage of human pathogens through to the final product.Fermentation studies that do not verify through culturing, sequence and sensory metabolite attribution. Biosensors and microbiology methods that do not demonstrate the performance of detecting relevant microbiological targets in real food systems. Confirmation of diagnostics or those detecting chemical or physical adulterants.
  • Food Hydrocolloids

    • ISSN: 0268-005X
    Food Hydrocolloids publishes original and innovative research concerned with the characterisation, functional properties and applications of hydrocolloid materials used in food products. Hydrocolloids are defined as polysaccharides and proteins of commercial importance that are added to food products to control, for example, the texture, stability, rheology and sensory properties. The key focus of the research should be on the hydrocolloid additives themselves and the source and nature of the hydrocolloids should be fully described. Details of their physicochemical characteristics must be provided such that the conclusions drawn from the study can be assessed with confidence and that the work can be repeated by others. Manuscripts should clearly outline the specific aims and objectives of the research and must include a fundamental discussion of the research findings at the molecular level and their significance. Manuscripts that simply report data without providing a detailed interpretation of the results will not be accepted for publication in the journal. Studies on hydrocolloids in complex formulations should focus on their influence on the overall properties and their mechanism of action. Simple formulation development studies that primarily aim to optimize proportions of mixed ingredients and/or investigate the variation of processing parameters to enhance formulated product properties will not be considered for publication.The main areas of interest are:The application of novel biochemical, chemical and physicochemical techniques for the characterisation of hydrocolloid materialsThe rheological and thermal properties of hydrocolloids in aqueous systems including their viscosity, viscoelastic properties and gelation behaviour The influence of hydrocolloids on the microstructure, texture and organoleptic properties of complex food systemsThe use of Artificial Intelligence approaches for the prediction and rationalisation of hydrocolloid structure–function relationships, molecular interactions and functional performance in food systemsThe interfacial properties of hydrocolloids including their application in the stabilisation of dispersions, emulsions and foamsHydrocolloid interactions with small molecules and interactions in mixed hydrocolloid systems including their phase behaviour, complexation and Maillard conjugationThe film forming properties of hydrocolloids with application in edible films, coatings and active packagingThe application of hydrocolloids to control the rheology and performance of food bio-ink formulations for 3D printingThe application of hydrocolloids for the encapsulation and controlled release of probiotics and active compounds for inclusion in food formulationsThe modification of hydrocolloid functionality through chemical, biochemical and physical processesThe extraction, physicochemical characteristics and application of hydrocolloid materials from non-traditional sources with commercial potential in food systemsThe function of hydrocolloids as soluble dietary fibre and their influence on human healthManuscripts that deal with the use of hydrocolloids in medical settings such as encapsulation of drugs, wound dressings and tissue engineering together with research involving animal studies will not be considered for publication in Food Hydrocolloids. Such work would be more appropriate for publication in Food Hydrocolloids for Health. This is an open access companion Journal devoted to hydrocolloids applied in human health and nutrition.The Food Hydrocolloids Journal publishes Review articles that provide a focussed overview of the latest developments in specific hydrocolloid research areas.
  • Process Biochemistry

    • ISSN: 1359-5113
    Process Biochemistry is an application-orientat... research journal devoted to reporting advances with originality and novelty, in the science and technology of the processes involving bioactive molecules and living organisms. These processes concern the production of useful metabolites or materials, or the removal of toxic compounds using tools and methods of current biology and engineering. Its main areas of interest include novel bioprocesses and enabling technologies (such as nanobiotechnology, tissue engineering, directed evolution, metabolic engineering, systems biology, and synthetic biology) applicable in food (nutraceutical), healthcare (medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic), energy (biofuels), environmental, and biorefinery industries and their underlying biological and engineering principles.Main topics covered include, with most of possible aspects and domains of application: • Fermentation, biochemical and bioreactor engineering • Biotechnology processes and their life science aspects • Biocatalysis, enzyme engineering and biotransformation • Downstream processing • Modeling, optimization and control techniques.Particula... aspects related to the processes, raw materials and products, also include: • Quantitative microbial physiology, stress response, signal transduction • Genetic engineering and metabolic engineering • Proteomics, functional genomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics • Chiral compounds production, cell free protein system, high-throughput screening, in-vivo/in-vitro evolution, enzyme immobilization, enzyme reaction in non-aqueous media • Mass transfer, mixing, scale-up and scale-down, bioprocess monitoring, bio-manufacturing • Cell, tissue and antibody engineering: animal and plant cells/tissues, algae, micro-algae, extremophile, antibody screening and production • Environmental biotechnology: biodegradation, bioremediation, wastewater treatment, biosorption and bioaccumulation • Bio-commodity engineering: biomass, bio-refinery, bio-energy • Bioseparation, purification, protein refolding. • Other new bioprocess and bioreactor related topics especially on application to healthcare sectors