JTAF Refines and Expands Its Focus and Scope

Editorial Announcement JTAF Refines and Expands Its Focus and Scope

A clearer statement of the scientific areas, scholarly expectations, and tropical agrifood relevance expected from submissions to the Journal of Tropical AgriFood.

The Journal of Tropical AgriFood (JTAF) has refined and expanded its Focus and Scope to provide authors, reviewers, editors, and readers with a clearer description of the research areas and scholarly standards expected by the journal.

JTAF provides an academic platform for original research, short communications, and critical reviews on the science, technology, engineering, nutrition, sustainability, and socioeconomic dimensions of tropical agrifood systems. The journal prioritizes work that explains or solves problems arising from tropical biological resources, climates, production environments, supply chains, and food cultures—particularly those of humid, biodiverse, and archipelagic regions.

Tropical relevance Research should demonstrate a meaningful connection to tropical agrifood resources, environments, production systems, value chains, or food cultures. Scientific novelty Submissions should contribute meaningful new knowledge, evidence, methods, technologies, or scholarly insight. Methodological rigor Study design, analysis, interpretation, and reporting should be technically sound, transparent, and reproducible. Wider relevance Findings should provide scientific or practical value beyond a narrowly local description or isolated case. The revised scope now explicitly covers Agricultural EngineeringEngineering principles, machinery, sensors, automation, modelling, irrigation, controlled environments, and energy-efficient systems for tropical agricultural commodities. Postharvest Physiology and TechnologyPostharvest physiological, biochemical, physical, and microbiological changes, together with storage, cold-chain, ripening control, drying, packaging, and loss reduction. Agricultural Product Processing TechnologyDevelopment, optimization, scale-up, and evaluation of processing operations including extraction, separation, fermentation, dehydration, thermal processing, and process intensification. Food Science and TechnologyFood chemistry, physics, microbiology, engineering, formulation, preservation, shelf-life, structure–property relationships, authenticity, and processing performance. BiotechnologyMicroorganisms, enzymes, plant tissue culture and other cell-based systems, omics, bioconversion, fermentation, bioprocessing, micropropagation, and in vitro conservation relevant to tropical agrifood systems. NutritionNutrient composition, bioavailability, digestibility, dietary quality, local dietary patterns, nutrient deficiencies, and food-based interventions. Herbal and Natural ProductsScientific characterization, extraction, standardization, stability, safety, and realistic food-related applications of tropical botanicals, spices, medicinal plants, and other natural materials. Functional FoodsFoods, beverages, ingredients, probiotics, prebiotics, bioactive compounds, and delivery systems supported by appropriate evidence linking composition and processing to physiological function. Food SecurityAvailability, access, utilization, stability, resilience, food loss and waste, local-resource diversification, value chains, consumer access, and evidence-based interventions. Sustainable AgricultureResource-efficient and climate-resilient tropical agrifood systems, including biodiversity-sensitive practices, renewable energy, low-input technologies, and measurable sustainability outcomes. Food Quality, Safety, and Sensory ScienceAnalytical, microbiological, toxicological, physicochemical, sensory, authenticity, hazard control, quality assurance, and storage-stability studies. Tropical Biodiversity, Indigenous Resources, and Traditional FoodsUnderutilized tropical species, indigenous knowledge, traditional foods and fermentations, including work connecting the distinctive biodiversity and food cultures of Borneo and other tropical regions with reproducible science and responsible value addition. Food Packaging, Storage, and DistributionConventional, active, intelligent, and bio-based packaging; packaging–product interactions; storage systems; transport conditions; cold-chain; and distribution technologies. By-product Valorization and Circular Tropical BioeconomyConversion of tropical agrifood residues into higher-value foods, ingredients, biomaterials, biochemicals, feed components, or bioenergy through technically and environmentally sound pathways. Agroindustry, Value Chains, Markets, and Consumer StudiesManagement, competitiveness, quality systems, supply-chain performance, technology adoption, consumer behaviour, business, markets, and policy analysis directly related to tropical agricultural and food products. For prospective authors: submissions should clearly explain their connection to tropical agrifood systems, their scientific contribution, methodological basis, and broader relevance. Authors are encouraged to review the complete Focus and Scope before submission. Journal Policy Review the complete JTAF Focus and Scope before submitting your manuscript. Read Full Focus & Scope Journal of Tropical AgriFood · Refined Focus and Scope · Editorial guidance for authors, reviewers, and readers