Journal profile · Food Science & Technology
Food Research International
ISSN 0963-9969 · eISSN 1873-7145 · Elsevier Ltd · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1992
Food Research International: CAS Zone 1 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.85; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,320; median 93 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 36.66%; 2,440 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Food Research International is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Proteins in Food Systems, Meat and Animal Product Quality and Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities, together about 27.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Food Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Food Research International provides a forum for the rapid dissemination of significant novel and high impact research in food science, technology, engineering and nutrition. The journal only publishes novel, high quality and high impact review papers, original research papers and letters to the editors, in the various disciplines encompassing the science and technology of food. It is journal policy to publish special issues on topical and emergent subjects of food research or food research-related areas. Special issues of selected, peer-reviewed papers from scientific meetings, workshops, conferences on the science, technology and engineering of foods will be also published.Food Research International is the successor to the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Journal. Building on the quality and strengths of its predecessor, Food Research International has been developed to create a truly international forum for the communication of research in food science.Topics covered by the journal include: food chemistryfood microbiology and safetymicrobiomefood toxicologymaterials science of foodsfood engineeringphysical properties of foodssensory sciencefood qualityhealth and nutritionfood biophysics analysis of foodsfood nanotechnologyemerging technologiesSubjects that will not be considered for publication in Food Research International, and will be rejected as being outside of scope, include : Studies testing different formulations and ingredients leading to the choice of the best formulation or ingredient to be used in the manufacture of a specified food;Optimization studies aiming to determine processing conditions and/or raw materials that increase the yield of a production process or improve nutritional and sensorial qualities;Studies describing the production of ingredients and only their characterization without a strong mechanistic emphasis;Studies describing the biological activity of foods lacking identification of the compounds responsible for the reported activity will not be published. This is also valid for any other chemical compounds such as phytochemicals and minor components of foods. Compounds of interest need to be characterized at least by mass spectrometry-based methods.Studies that do not clearly prove the relationship between the structure of the compounds and their activity;Fingerprinting studies lacking molecular insights and validation sets;Studies on antimicrobial compounds that do not consider a validation step in foods, lacking full data on chemical composition indicating the compounds responsible for the inhibitory activity and, when appropriate, the use of molecular biology approaches to support the findings;Development of analytical methods not comprising a validation step in situ that represent the range of conditions faced during their application will not be considered;Surveys of chemical, nutritional, physical and microbiological hazards will not be considered. Only papers presenting a significant data set, wide coverage, novel and supported by adequate chemical or microbiological techniques will be considered;Pharmacology and nutritional studies papers focusing in hosts rather than in foods.Pharmacology and nutritional studies that do not contain bioavailability or biofunctionality.Engineering studies lacking of mathematical verification or validation in situ, when appropriate;Fragmented studies, of low scientific quality, or poorly written.Studies with no food component.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Food Science & Technology
Editorial board by country: 38 in mainland China (about 26%); most named Mainland China 38, Brazil 13, United States 10, Spain 10, Italy 8 (145 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Proteins in Food SystemsAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.7%
- Meat and Animal Product QualityAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.7%
- Phytochemicals and Antioxidant ActivitiesMedicine8.1%
- Food composition and propertiesNursing6.8%
- Fermentation and Sensory AnalysisAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.4%
- Protein Hydrolysis and Bioactive PeptidesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
- Microencapsulation and Drying ProcessesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 8.85LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 13.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.67LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- h-index
- 134LetPub ·
- h-index
- 280OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,018OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.17OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 17.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 2,279LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 19,769 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,422 | 421 | 1,853 |
| 2025 | 2,440 | 525 | 17,646 |
| 2024 | 1,490 | 478 | 26,075 |
| 2023 | 1,361 | 442 | 36,702 |
| 2022 | 1,391 | 337 | 50,685 |
| 2021 | 754 | 209 | 37,588 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
93 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 65 days – 118 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 98 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (4,873 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 2.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 36.66%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 40 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 107 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,320 / EUR 4,040 / GBP 3,460 / JPY 535,810 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,100 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted11
- book reviewResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- book reviewsBook ReviewsLength not stated
- letterResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- letters to the editorResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- research paperResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- research papersResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- reviewResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- review articleResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles - will be accepted in all areas of food science covered by the scope of the journal.Length not stated
- short communicationResearch papers - original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form. It is preferable that manuscripts…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort communications - Food Research International does not publish short communication papers.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access options available Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0963-9969
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-7145
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Food Research International
What CAS zone is Food Research International in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Food Research International is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Food Science & Technology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Food Research International?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.85; CiteScore 13.4, h-index 280.
How long does peer review take at Food Research International?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 93 days (interquartile range 65–118 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 36.66%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Food Research International?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Food Research International based?
Of the 145 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 38 (about 26%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (38), Brazil (13) and United States (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Food Research International?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Food Research International is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Food Research International open access, and what is the APC?
Food Research International is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,320.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .