Journal profile · Engineering, Chemical
Journal of Food Engineering
ISSN 0260-8774 · eISSN 1873-5770 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Semimonthly · Founded 1982
Journal of Food Engineering: CAS Zone 2 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.72; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,350; review about 106 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: 80%; 361 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Food Engineering is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 2 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 Microencapsulation and Drying Processes, Food Drying and Modeling and Proteins in Food Systems, together about 28.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Food Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Food Engineering (JFE), since its first issue in 1982, aims to provide an international forum for publication of original research papers on any subject at the interface between food and engineering, particularly those of relevance to industry with emphasis on novelty, engineering rigor and clear perspectives of applications, including:Engineering properties of foods, food (multi-phase and multi-scale) physics and physical chemistry with their effects on food processing with novelty and relevance of engineering properties to food manufacturing.Innovative methods, sensors and actuators for food processing, quality and safety, packaging, storage, and supply chain, Advanced engineering aspects of analysis, design and optimization of food processing, control of food processing equipment and plant,Artificial intelligence and data-driven innovations with an emphasis on industrial applications, andSustainability and economics of the proposed solutions for food engineering, including alternative processes.With respect to process design and optimization, mathematical modeling studies with validation and process applications in conventional and novel processing illustrating food engineering principles are of particular interest. The use of specific software in modeling studies should avoid using the black-box approach and present the fundamental details of the applied modeling approach. Design and optimization studies should demonstrate engineering rigor rather than only observational comparisons. For analytical techniques (such as imaging methods and image processing with machine learning, and the use artificial intelligence), the manuscripts should demonstrate the required scientific background and potential innovative food process applications. Food packaging related manuscripts focusing on quantitative analysis (e.g., release kinetics, diffusion modelling, novel shelf-life modelling methods) are also of interest for publication in JFE.For review articles, critical comprehensive reviews should present a detailed background of the given subject with critical opinions of the authors suggesting challenges and priorities for the future research. The authors must have a significant scientific background on the topic to discuss the insights obtained from the literature with a critical assessment of the food engineering rigor of the reviewed works. Our expectation of engineering rigor in works published in JFE has various aspects:clear presentation of the underlying (e.g., physical or chemical) mechanism and its rationale within the (food) engineering discipline,development of theoretical considerations that are well grounded in physical/chemical sciences, experimental design and approaches described in a sufficient manner so that they can be replicated in another laboratory,data analysis based on well-established statistical methods,development of mathematical models with validation and for broader application of results, discussion of results that demonstrate how the work uniquely contributes to new knowledge, andwhen appropriate, application of results to industrial-scale problem-solving, with an emphasis on quantitative approach and analysis.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Chemical
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 15%); most named United States 11, Mainland China 9, France 6, Mexico 4, Italy 3 (60 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microencapsulation and Drying ProcessesAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.4%
- Food Drying and ModelingAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.1%
- Proteins in Food SystemsAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.9%
- Meat and Animal Product QualityAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.7%
- Polysaccharides Composition and ApplicationsAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.6%
- Food composition and propertiesNursing6.4%
- Microbial Inactivation MethodsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Spectroscopy and Chemometric AnalysesChemistry5.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
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
- 5.72LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 12.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.13LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 156LetPub ·
- h-index
- 262OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,166OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 23.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 332LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 12,118 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 302 | 96 | 161 |
| 2025 | 361 | 121 | 1,763 |
| 2024 | 382 | 148 | 4,106 |
| 2023 | 352 | 119 | 5,887 |
| 2022 | 295 | 85 | 7,628 |
| 2021 | 297 | 102 | 8,024 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
106 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 2.3 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 2.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 80%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 38 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 106 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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 4,350 / EUR 4,070 / GBP 3,480 / JPY 539,530 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,960 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- letters to the editorResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- opinionResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- regular paperResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- research articleResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field.Length not stated
- research paperResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- reviewResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- review articleResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles should present a critical comprehensive appraisal of the areas of interest along with authors’ critical opinions outlining challenges and priori…Length not stated
- short communicationResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications are research papers constituting a concise but complete description of a limited investigation, which will not be included in a later paper…Length not stated
- surveyResearch Articles are original full-length research papers which contributes new knowledge to its field. These papers should: (a) report a specific identifiable…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
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
Peer review type: 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 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
- ENGLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1982
- ISSN
- 0260-8774
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-5770
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Food Engineering
What CAS zone is Journal of Food Engineering in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Food Engineering is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Engineering, Chemical / Food Science & Technology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Food Engineering?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.72; CiteScore 12.7, h-index 262.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Food Engineering?
The publisher reports about 106 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 2.3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “80%”. 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 Journal of Food Engineering?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: 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 Journal of Food Engineering based?
Of the 60 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (11), Mainland China (9) and France (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Food Engineering?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Food Engineering is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Food Engineering open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Food Engineering is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,350.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .