Dear Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to participate in the Second International Conference on Antioxidants: Bridging Mechanistic Insights, Human Health, and Industrial Applications (ICA 2027).

The conference is organized by the MDPI open access journal Antioxidants and will take place as a three-day event in Lisbon, Portugal, from 17 to 19 May 2027.

Antioxidants continue to represent one of the most dynamic and interdisciplinary areas of scientific research. Their importance spans numerous fields, including human health, nutrition, food science, biotechnology, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and advanced functional materials. As research in this field continues to expand, there remains a pressing need to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying antioxidant activity and to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications.

Although remarkable progress has been made over recent years, significant challenges remain. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of action of antioxidants, their bioaccessibility and bioavailability, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense systems, antioxidant-based therapeutic strategies, and the development of functional foods and biomaterials with antioxidant properties. At the same time, continued efforts are required to identify new natural sources of antioxidants, develop sustainable extraction and processing technologies, and further standardize analytical methods for evaluating antioxidant capacity.

The scientific programme will feature keynote lectures, invited presentations, contributed talks, and poster sessions covering a broad range of topics, including:

• Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease including Oxidative stress in Cognitive function and neurodegenerative diseases; Metabolic health, obesity, and diabetes; Cancer prevention and therapy; Skin health and retinal degeneration; Physical exercise and sports performance; Gut microbiota and gastrointestinal health 

• Molecular Mechanisms of Antioxidant Defense and Oxidative Stress with particular emphasis on Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems; SODs and SOD mimetics; Keap1/Nrf2 signaling and redox regulation; Cell senescence, aging, and inflammation; Mitochondrial oxidative stress; Novel molecular targets and therapeutic strategies

• Antioxidants in Food and Feed Systems with emphasis on Functional foods; Food supplements; Honey bee products; Aquaculture; Oxidative stress in aquatic organisms; Poultry nutrition and reproduction; Bioavailability; Chemoprevention

• Sustainable sources, Recovery methodologies and Processing including Food by-products; Agri-food waste biomass; Green extraction methodologies; Biotechnological recovery methods; Enzyme aided transformation and recovery; Biomass from aquatic systems

• Industrial and emerging antioxidant applications including Functional ingredients in cosmetics; Antioxidants in food packaging; Synthetic and derivatives of natural antioxidants; Antioxidants as plastics additives; Food colorants stabilizers; Antioxidant biomaterials

The conference will bring together internationally recognized scientists from academia and industry, providing an excellent platform for exchanging ideas, presenting the latest research findings, establishing new collaborations, and fostering interactions between early-career researchers and leading experts in the field.

Participants will also be encouraged to submit full manuscripts based on their presentations for consideration in a dedicated Special Issue of Antioxidants.

I sincerely hope you will join us in Lisbon for what promises to be an inspiring scientific meeting and an excellent opportunity to strengthen collaborations within the international antioxidants community.

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting meeting in Lisbon in May 2027.

Prof. Dr. Alessandra Napolitano 
Conference Chair, ICA 2027

Dr. Raul Zamora-Ros

Conference Co-Chair, ICA 2027