Dear Colleagues,

Berries are one of the most widely consumed and nutritious fruits worldwide. They contain bioactive compounds, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which provide numerous health benefits and appealing sensory attributes. The flavor quality of berries depends on a complicated interplay of genetic, environmental, and post-harvest factors that affect the biosynthesis, accumulation, and degradation of flavor-related compounds. Understanding the biological basis of berry flavor quality is essential for enhancing cultivations practices, processing technologies, and breeding strategies.

This Special Issue aims to gather reviews and original research articles examining the ecological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular facets of the flavor quality of wild berries and cultivated ones. Areas of interest comprise profiling and characterization of flavor compounds, biosynthetic pathways and regulation of flavors, perception and preference of flavors, enhancement and preservation of flavors, and diversity and evolution of flavors. Studies focused on these topics will provide valuable insights into the mechanisms that underlie berry flavor quality and foster collaboration among researchers from different disciplines. By compiling state-of-the-art research, this publication cultivates partnerships and improves our comprehension of the basic mechanisms driving berry flavor biology.

Researchers are encouraged to submit their newest discoveries to further our understanding of the factors that impact berry flavor excellence and consumer approval.

Prof. Dr. Baoqing Zhu
Prof. Dr. Qiuhong Pan
Dr. Keji Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• berry flavor
• biosynthesis
• ecological and cultivation factors