 ccording
to an analysis of
Essential Science Indicators
data published this month, Molecular Nutrition & Food
Research is having a growing impact in the field of
Agricultural Sciences—an impressive achievement for a journal
that is only three years old. The journal’s current citation
record includes 337 papers cited a total of 875 times. In the
interview below, in-cites talks with Editor-in-Chief Peter
Schreier and Associate Editor Hans-Ulrich Humpf about
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research’s publication
history and citation achievements. |
Did you expect Molecular Nutrition & Food Research to
become highly cited, or is this surprising to you?
Since we started the journal in 2004, we have been constantly
working towards this goal as we were convinced that there is a
strong demand for a journal linking food chemical and
nutritional aspects. So when we saw a constantly growing number
of downloads as well as a fast-growing impact factor over the
last two years we were not surprised. Indeed we are very pleased
about this success.
How would you account for the increased citation rate of
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research?
Firstly, this has been triggered by the concept of focusing
on nutritional research at the molecular level, including health
aspects as well as linking information arising from several
disciplines such as bioactivity, safety, immunology,
microbiology, and chemistry. Furthermore, this is in accordance
with current trends in research.
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“...health professionals and the general
public have become more and more aware of the link between food
consumption and its impact on health and disease.” |
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Secondly, the increased number of citations reflects the
quality of the published papers as well as our short publication
times. What has also helped is that our readership in both
academia and industry has grown.
Was there a change in policy or editorial direction that might
account for this?
Actually there has been no change in policy since we started
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research as a new journal.
Apart from our concept of focusing on research at the molecular
level, we have set up an international editorial board including
experts from our different research disciplines in both academia
and industry.
Also, an essential aspect of our strategy has been to publish
special issues on specific topics and hot areas in the field,
including the correlation between tea and health, as well as
research on the role of resveratrol, a constituent of red wine,
in cancer prevention. These issues are an important reference
source for our readers, not only in academia and industry but
also for the general public.
What historical factors have contributed to the success of
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research?
In the last 10 to 15 years food chemistry has undergone a
change of paradigm from the more or less pure analytical
orientation to a multi- and interdisciplinary subject among the
life sciences. This has led to the situation where, at present,
food-related biological and chemical reactions are extensively
investigated at the cellular and molecular level, and
correlations between structure and biological function are being
investigated in greater depth and scope. Thus, food research has
become an integrated part of the life sciences.
In addition, health professionals and the general public have
become more and more aware of the link between food consumption
and its impact on health and disease.
Have there been specific developments in the fields served by
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research that may have contributed?
One example may be that the understanding of the role of
vitamins in human nutrition, health, and disease has broadened
and changed over the past two decades. This is reflected by some
interesting regulatory developments in European countries, and
is also relevant for the design of transgenic crop plants with
the goal of enhancing vitamin E content. Several of our key
papers address this important topic.
Another example is the development of research on thermally
processed foods. We are constantly publishing updates on the
European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical
Research (COST
action 927) devoted to gaining basic knowledge about the
formation of health-beneficial and harmful compounds formed
during the heat treatment of various foods.
What, in your view, is this journal’s main significance or
contribution in the field of Agricultural Sciences?
We want our readers to understand the connection between
agricultural products, their consumption, and possible effects
on health. Taking, for example, microbiology, we publish papers
on food spoilage, food pathogens, chemical and physical
approaches of fermented foods, and novel microbial processes.
Our mission is to combine nutritional and medical effects of
food constituents including integrated risk/benefit evaluations.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few years?
As the public is nowadays so aware of the impact of nutrition
on health, we foresee that our interdisciplinary approach will
gain in importance. Our approach is the way forward to providing
a platform for nutritional biochemists, toxicologists,
healthcare professionals, medical and food chemists,
microbiologists, and immunologists to exchange information and
promote research on the molecular level.
What role do you see for your journal?
The rapid progress regarding submissions, downloads, and
citations reveals that our strategy of combining the interests
of various fields of molecular nutrition has found great
acceptance, not only among the authors but also the readership
in general.
We will continue to observe and oversee the further
developments in our field so that we can continue to strengthen
our position in the market as the premier source of information
in molecular nutrition and, according to the current trend,
guide our journal towards stronger focusing on
health/risk-benefit topics.
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
Peter Schreier, Editor-in-Chief
Hans-Ulrich Humpf, Associate Editor
Wiley-VCH, publishers
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