Editor in Chief

Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, University of Maine, USA

Scientific Editors

• Nicolas Bordenave, PhD, INRAE, France—Chemistry, carbohydrates, bioactives
• Daniel Granato, PhD, University of Limerick, Ireland—Chemistry, health, nutrition, sensory, statistical analysis
• Tatiana Koutchma, PhD; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada—Engineering, processing, packaging
• Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, PhD, CFS; Louisiana State University, USA—Sensory & consumer sciences, data analysis
• Donald Schaffner, PhD; Rutgers University, USA—Microbiology, safety, risk assessment, data analysis

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Aim & Scope

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety publishes reviews on topics related to food science, safety, and technology. Our reviews offer in-depth, critical, and extended commentaries on a specific topic. We publish reviews that cover the chemical, microbiological, physical, sensory, and nutritional properties of foods. We also publish reviews on topics related to food processing and engineering, food analysis, and food packaging. Food safety topics such as toxicology, preventive controls in food processing and preparation operations, ingredient contaminants, inadequate or improper storage, food authenticity, and adulteration may be considered. Reviews on chemical, microbial, and physical food hazards may be submitted. Reviews addressing consumer food behavior, psychological aspects of food choices and consumption, risk assessment and management, and the scientific basis of food regulations are also considered.

Reviews on detection methods must include the demonstration of validity and reliability in foods, not model systems. Reviews on the nutritional properties of foods should provide readers with a realistic perspective of how foods may influence health. Studies on bioactivity of food components should discuss influences of food processing, storage, and consumer practices. Reviews dealing with post-harvest physiology or storage should address food quality issues as well as compositional changes. Papers discussing utilization of food processing byproducts/waste must focus on food applications; non-food uses will not be considered.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on analytical and sensory methods, quality control strategies, and approaches related to food science, technology, and food safety are also considered for publication. Authors are encouraged to contact the Editor in Chief ([email protected]) prior to submitting systematic reviews and to follow the IFIS Good review practice: a researcher guide to systematic review methodology in the sciences of food and health.

The journal does not extend invitations to authors. Authors may consult the Editor in Chief regarding the suitability of a topic prior to submission ([email protected]). Authors should consult the published literature to avoid duplication of topics, since only unique reviews will be considered. Authors are expected to search the literature to justify how unique their paper’s topic and content are from other reviews previously published in the last two to three years. Manuscripts must highlight how they add value to the scientific knowledge on the topic. Reviews that repeat information given in previously published reviews without new insights and recommendations for addressing research gaps will be rejected. A comprehensive review does not necessarily cite all research ever published on a specific topic; reviews should focus on recent developments with limited citations of key original research that is ten years old or older. Readers value reviews that critically assess the experimental design and interpretation of results in research papers since abstracts may not accurately portray research findings.

Hypotheses papers are better suited for the Journal of Food Science. Comprehensive Reviews will not consider reviews focusing on agronomical sciences and food crop breeding unrelated to food science and technology; drug, traditional medicine (not commonly consumed as food), and cosmeceutical applications; disease prevention or treatment of health conditions; or pharma-related topics. Papers addressing food issues in a single nation are not likely to be considered. Manuscripts on the health effects of isolated compounds or that focus on in vitro and in silico research will not be considered, nor will reviews that focus solely on the metabolism of nutrients in the body. Symposium proceedings will not be considered

Comprehensive Reviews does not accept special issue proposals from outside of the editorial board.

• Submission cover letters are required. Authors should explain how their review adds new and important information to the field and describe how their manuscript differs from other reviews on the same general topic published in the past three years. 
• Comprehensive Reviews should be between 8,000 and 15,000 words in the main body of the text, excluding references, tables, and figures.
• Reviews containing fewer than 8,000 words in the body text should be submitted to the Journal of Food Science as Concise Reviews.
• Reviews should use a structured methodology such that the review could be traced and repeated.
• Manuscript text must be double-spaced with continuous line numbering.
• Starting in 2025, references will be published in Chicago Manual of Style, but the journal allows submissions in any reference style.
• All authors must be added in the manuscript submission form. Each author’s contribution must comply with the ICMJE criteria for authorship.
• Original tables or figures are encouraged rather than simply duplicating work published previously.
• Authors must disclose conflicts of interest in a “Conflicts of Interest” section at the end of the body text.
• Submit at: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/CRFS 

Diversity & Inclusion

IFT’s has dedicated itself to three important pillars: diversity, inclusion, and equity, with the goal to leverage all three to advance our mission and the science of food. We are committed to fostering diverse and inclusive editorial boards, reviewer pools, and authorship of IFT’s scientific journals. Learn more about DEI at IFT.

Author criteria

Authorship is restricted to those who meet the ICMJE criteria, those who have:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
• AND aided in drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
• AND given final approval of the version to be published;
• AND agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Ghost, guest, honorary, or anonymous authorship is not allowed. Contributors who do not qualify for authorship should be mentioned in the acknowledgments. New authors cannot be added after initial manuscript submission. 

Nonhuman technologies such as AI tools cannot qualify as authors. Use of AI tools in the design, literature search, data collection, analysis, writing, and/or development of graphics or images must be disclosed in a relevant section of the manuscript, including naming the AI tool and describing how it was used. Refer to the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI tools.

We advise against the submission of a manuscript by a single author, particularly those who have not attained their final degree, because multiple authors reviewing the manuscript before submission are more likely to identify mistakes that can easily be addressed.

CRediT

When submitting a manuscript, the submitting author will be asked to enter each co-author’s name and contact information, then select from a drop-down list each author’s contribution(s) to the work using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) as well as the degree of contribution for each role (Lead, Equal, or Supporting). 

From this metadata, an Author Contributions section will be generated automatically during the production process and added to the proof of the manuscript.

Authors may have multiple roles, and the ICMJE authorship criteria still apply—for example, a person whose only contribution to the work is Resources may not qualify as an author but can be thanked in the acknowledgments.

Expectations

For CRFSFS, authorship is not restricted. Peer review is the best of all possible quality assurance systems. However, authors relatively new to a field, such as recent graduate students and individuals without prior publications on the subject under review, must have at least one co-author with recognized experience in that area. In addition to the stated requirements for authors, expectations from authors of comprehensive reviews are:

• Good writing
• Adherence to the journal's style and format
• manuscript presentation with double-spaced, line-numbered text
• interpretation of the references cited so that meaning as well as the data of each are easily understood
• analysis and summary of important concepts under discussion
• identification of further research needed on the subject
• listing references in the required format.

Authors are expected to adhere to established ethical best practices, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) International Standards for Authors (link to PDF).

All submissions to IFT's journals are screened for overlap with other previously-published materials using iThenticate software. Manuscripts with excessive overlap will be rejected outright after review by editorial staff.

All submitted manuscripts are screened by the Scientific Editor for language, importance, interest to subscribers, substance, appropriateness for the journal, unique topic, and general scientific quality. Those failing to meet current standards are rejected by the Scientific Editor without further review. Those manuscripts meeting these initial standards are sent to an Associate Editor, who assigns reviewers (also called “referees”).

• CRFSFS uses a single-anonymized review process where author identities are visible to the reviewers, but reviewer identities are hidden from the author.
• Associate Editors strive to obtain three or more reviewers for each manuscript.
• In the submission form, authors are asked to recommend the names of two to four experts who are qualified to review the manuscript but who have no personal or professional relationships with the authors and who work at other institutions. Former professors and students should not be suggested as reviewers.
• For more information about our review policies, see our Reviewer Resources page.
• It is the policy of CRFSFS to hide the peer-review process of Editorial Board members' own submissions, just as all authors are excluded from seeing identities of reviewers. Alternate editors handle submissions made by Editorial Board members to ensure an unbiased review process.

When the initial review is complete, the Associate Editor will send you the reviewers’ suggestions along with their suggestions. You are expected to respond in a cover letter to all suggestions either by making appropriate revisions or stating why the suggestions are unreasonable. The Associate Editor will consider your revisions, and provide the Scientific Editor with a recommendation to accept, revise, or reject your manuscript. Occasionally a peer- reviewer insists on a re-evaluation. If a second revision of a manuscript is still not satisfactory, it may be rejected. You will be informed by the Scientific Editor of the final decision.

Factors considered when judging the suitability of a manuscript for publication are: interest readers will have in the subject; relevance to human foods; originality, scientific quality (including appropriateness of the experimental design and methods, depth of investigation, proper statistical analysis of the data for meta-analyses); and critical evaluation, importance, and substance of the results. Conclusions should identify gaps in knowledge and topics for future research, not restate the theme of the review.

There is an 8,000-word minimum and 15,000 word maximum (body text, excluding references, tables, and figures) for manuscripts submitted to CRFSFS. Reviews under 8,000 words should be submitted to the Journal of Food Science, Concise Reviews and Hypotheses in Food Science topic.

IFT membership is not a prerequisite for publication.

CRFSFS is a hybrid-model journal. After acceptance, authors may choose to publish in the traditional model where their article will be accessible to subscribers and will use traditional copyright transfer, or in the Open Access model where their article will be free to the public to read with a Creative Commons license. Publication fees are different for each model.

Traditional (Subscription) Model Publishing is FREE for IFT MEMBERS
There is no charge for publishing for current IFT Premier, Student, or Emeritus members. To join IFT to take advantage of this benefit, visit the Membership page. 

For non-IFT-members and IFT Networking & Engagement members, a traditional-model publication charge of $3,000 per manuscript is assessed prior to publication.

Open Access Publishing Options
Alternatively, authors can publish their article Open Access. The traditional-model non-member fee does not apply to Open Access articles.
Many institutions have Open Access publishing agreements with Wiley that allow authors to use Open Access credits. Check if your institution has a current Open Access agreement here. 
If an institutional agreement does not apply to you, you can purchase Open Access from Wiley at the current APC rate. There is no discount for IFT members.

Waivers
If none of the authors is able to join IFT to get the free publishing member benefit, authors may request a waiver of publication charges after acceptance of the manuscript, prior to publication. Authors based in countries in either Group A or B of Research4Life's eligibility list will automatically be granted a waiver if none of the authors is an IFT member. Authors from other countries who lack funding for publication fees or for IFT membership will be granted waivers as needed, upon request.

IFT prioritizes publication of quality food science, regardless of authors' funding status. An author’s ability to pay for publication is not a factor in consideration of submissions. Waiver requests should be e-mailed to the Editorial Office at [email protected] at the time of acceptance.

An Open Access option is available to authors of primary research articles who wish to make their article available to non-subscribers upon publication, or whose funding agency requires grantees to archive the final version of their article. With Open Access, the author, the author’s funding agency, or the author’s institution pays a fee to ensure that the article is made available to non-subscribers upon publication via Wiley Online Library, as well as deposited in the funding agency’s preferred archive. For the full list of terms and conditions, see https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/open-access/hybrid-open-access.html.

Open Access articles are subject to a Creative Commons license, instead of traditional copyright transfer to IFT. After acceptance, the author can choose the Open Access option in Wiley Author Services when asked to complete copyright information.

This journal accepts artwork submissions for Cover Images. This is an optional service you can use to help increase article exposure and showcase your research. For more information, including artwork guidelines, pricing, and submission details, please visit the Journal Cover Image page. Wiley Editing Services offers a professional cover image design service that creates eye-catching images, ready to be showcased on the journal cover.

Language, units of measurement and symbols

Use the English language (American spelling and usage) and the SI system (Système International d’Unités, often referred to as “International Units”) for measurements and units.

Style

CRFSFS follows Wiley's style manual. Starting in 2025, references will be published in Chicago Manual of Style, but the journal allows submissions in any reference style. Manuscripts with numbered references may be asked to update to an alphabetical reference and citation style at the revision stage. References will be updated to Chicago Manual style by the copyeditors after acceptance. Contact the Editorial Office ([email protected]) with questions.

Format

Recommended format can easily be followed using our Review Manuscript Template (.docx).

• Continuous line-numbering for the entire manuscript is mandatory. 
• Double-space the entire manuscript. 
• Submitted manuscripts must list full names for all authors.
• Try to restrict individual file sizes to 5Mb maximum. Larger files may be uploaded, but these can lead to download issues for users. 

A manuscript template in Microsoft® Word is available to help you format your submission.

Table of contents (recommended) 

A listing of major section headers or table of contents helps readers navigate the manuscript. This is not published with the paper but helps for the review process. 

Title page

• Enter full title (be concise) Do not use trade names in titles. Do not use abbreviations and acronyms in titles. 
• Enter name(s) and e-mail addresses of author(s) and author affiliation(s)
• Provide contact information for the corresponding author, including full name, complete mailing address, phone, and e-mail address. 
• Provide previous address(es) of author(s) if research was conducted at a place different from current affiliation. 

Abstract 

• Enter “ABSTRACT:” followed by abstract text, preferably not exceeding 250 words; define all acronyms and abbreviations; do not cite references. State in one paragraph basic background, major results, and conclusions.

Introduction

• Enter introductory text; review pertinent work; cite key references; explain the importance of the topic and the objectives of your work.  

Body text 

• Topic must be covered in depth and information must be critically evaluated (strengths, weaknesses, discussion of discrepancies in results among similar studies) so that insightful, integrative interpretations and conclusions are achieved. 
• Abbreviations and acronyms. At first use in the text, use full length form followed by the acronym in parentheses. Use only the acronym for subsequent mentions. 

Conclusions 

State conclusions (not a summary or continuing discussion) briefly in one paragraph and without references. 

Funding (if applicable)

List all sources of financial support.

Acknowledgments (optional)

List the names of contributors who are not authors. 

Conflicts of Interest (required)

Declare any conflicts of interest, or state that there are none to declare.

Data Availability (if applicable)

If you have deposited an original dataset to a repository, link to it in a brief statement here.

Nomenclature (if needed) 

Enter a list of abbreviations used in the manuscript and their definitions. 

References 

Alphabetically list only those references cited in the text. Required format is described below. 

Tables 

• Enter one table per page after the references. Be sure you have cited each table within the text. 
• Enter a short descriptive caption at the top of each table, preceded by an identifying Arabic numeral. 
• Columns and their headings are normally (but not always) used to display the dependent variable(s) being presented in the table. 
• Footnotes should be identified by lowercase letters or number (e.g., a, b, c; 1, 2, 3) appearing as superscripts in the body of the table and preceding the footnote below the table. The same data should not appear in both tables and figures. 
• All data reported in numerical form must take significant figures into account. 
• Tables including a large amount of data with few significant differences should instead be described in a sentence along with “(data not shown)”. 

Figures (graphs, charts, photographs, and other illustrations) 

Figures will be analyzed for manipulation or duplication just prior to manuscript acceptance. If any manipulation is found, you will be asked to explain it. If you edited your images, explain the edits in the figure caption or in a cover letter to the editor.

General instructions

• Enter one figure per page after the tables (if any). Be sure you have cited each figure within the text, using Arabic numerals.
• Enter the figure number and descriptive caption at the bottom of each figure. 
• You are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures. Proof of permission to reproduce is required. 
• Submit your figures at least twice the size they will appear when published at 300 dots per inch (dpi) or greater. 
• Be sure to use lettering, data lines, and symbols sufficiently large and thick to be clearly legible when the figure is reduced to the normal published size. 
• All data reported in numerical form must take significant figures into account. 
• Avoid redundancy between the figure caption and information in the figure.

Special instructions for graphs 

• Keep as simple as possible. 
• Dependent variable should be presented on the vertical axis (y or ordinate). 
• Independent variable should be presented on the horizontal axis (x or abscissa). 
• The label for each axis should be parallel to, and centered on, the axis; that is, the label for the vertical axis should be rotated 90° counterclockwise from normal. 
• Axis labels should be followed by the units of measurement in parentheses, with abbreviations shown elsewhere in these Instructions. 
• Range of values presented on each axis should be no larger than the range of values being presented. 
• All data reported in numerical form must take significant figures into account. 
• If data lines are close together and/or intersect, do not present more than 4 lines per figure. 
• If data lines are well separated and few or none intersect, a maximum of about 8 lines per figure may be entered. 
• Identify lines directly, if feasible. If not, enter key box at a blank area inside the graph. 
• Avoid simultaneous use of a new symbol and a new line style. 
• Avoid, if possible, presenting more than 8 data bars per figure. 
• Avoid using shades of gray on bars or lines. 

Appendix (if needed)

Examples are complicated calculations or additional data tables. 

Supplemental materials

Multimedia (audio, video, and animation) files demonstrating important information relevant to the article can be published as supplemental material. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and file functionality remains entirely with the authors. A disclaimer will be displayed to this effect. 

If your review has original data, we encourage you to share the data and other artifacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving it in an appropriate public repository. Authors should include a data accessibility statement, including a link to the dataset under an additional subhead, entitled "Data Availability", after the Conclusions section. Visit re3data.org or fairsharing.org to help identify registered and certified data repositories relevant to your research.

If the data has not been archived in a public repository, to assist in the review process, the editors may request the original data for review.

The journal allows submissions in any reference style, but the editor may ask you to update the reference style at the revision stage. References will be published in Chicago Manual of Style. Cite only necessary publications and use primary rather than secondary references when possible. It is acceptable to cite work that is “forthcoming” (that is, accepted but not yet published) with the pertinent year and, if available, the DOI. Works that are “submitted” and under review are not to be cited. Use of reference management software such as EndNote is highly recommended. 

List only references cited in the text. List references alphabetically by the first author’s last name. Single author precedes same author with co-authors. When the authors are identical in multiple references, sequence them by publication date (oldest to newest). References must be complete and should include the DOI whenever possible. In the case of references to papers presented at a meeting, the full title of the paper, when and where it was presented, and the name of the sponsoring society must be given. For examples, see the Chicago Manual of Style citation quick guide here: Author-Date Style.

Comments, observations, different perspectives, and suggestions for improving concepts and techniques of previously published manuscripts are welcome and accepted. Letters should be submitted through Research Exchange (ReX) at https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/CRFS. Choose the article type, "Letter". The Editor in Chief will consider letter submissions for potential publication.

Getting Started

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange (ReX) portal: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/CRFS

For technical help with the submission system, please review the FAQs or contact [email protected].

Create an account or use your Wiley Researcher ID to log in. Your default login ID is your e-mail address.

From here, you can create new submissions and revisions and check the status of submissions in progress across all journals on the ReX platform.

Create a new submission and select the manuscript type: Review Article.

Completing Submission

After acceptance, the corresponding author will be asked to complete copyright transfer or licensing through Wiley Author Services. If publishing traditional model, copyright will be transferred to IFT. If publishing Open Access, choose the appropriate Creative Commons license type CC-BY, CC-BY-NC-ND, etc.), which may be directed by the funder or institution.

For detailed licensing information, including instructions for Multiple Ownership copyright, see https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/licensing/licensing-info-faqs.html.

Reproduction of all or any significant portion of an IFT publication is prohibited unless permission is received from IFT. Authors have the right to reproduce portions of their own papers with proper acknowledgment and retain the right to any patentable subject material that might be contained therein. Authors can obtain permission online through Rightslink, which is an automated online permissions service available 24 hours/day. You can do so by locating the article you want to reuse and clicking on the “Request Permissions” link under the “Article Tools” menu on the abstract page.

After acceptance, the corresponding author will receive further information on copyright transfer and tracking production of your paper through Wiley Author Services. You will also be asked to provide an IFT member number for one of the co-authors if you would like to publish at no charge (see Publication Charges section above).

We will use the accepted files for production. If you need to make final edits suggested by the editor, please e-mail a final file as soon as possible to [email protected], or you may make those edits at the proofing stage.

About a week after production of your manuscript begins, you will receive a PDF proof via e-mail so you can make any final minor corrections. You are responsible for all statements appearing in the page proof. If you are not available to review the page proof, you should authorize someone else to carefully study the page proof for errors.

Post-publication Corrections
After publication, if a mistake is noticed, authors may issue corrigenda to fix errors made by the authors or request that the journal issue an erratum to correct errors made during the production process. Refer to Wiley's corrections policy for details.

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request. 

To appeal a decision by the Scientific Editor or report problems related to the review process or published journal, please contact the Editor in Chief, Mary Ellen Camire, via the Editorial Office ([email protected]).