Submissions

Author Guidelines

ARTICLE SCOPE AND ELIGIBILITY

Pro Food publishes original research articles that make a clear scientific or technological contribution to the field of food science and technology. The journal primarily considers experimental research involving measurable variables, clearly defined treatments or observations, appropriate controls or comparisons, replication, and suitable data analysis.

Research topics must be directly related to food science, food technology, food processing, food chemistry, food microbiology, food safety, food quality, food and nutrition, food biotechnology, food preservation, food packaging, postharvest technology, sensory evaluation, food product development, functional foods, or food and agroindustrial technology.

Non-experimental studies may be considered only when they provide a direct and substantial contribution to food science and technology. Survey-based, consumer, socioeconomic, or qualitative studies must employ a rigorous research design, an adequate number of samples or participants, clearly described or validated instruments, appropriate data analysis, and findings that are directly relevant to food quality, food safety, food processing, nutrition, sensory science, product development, sustainable food systems, or food agroindustry.

Manuscripts that primarily focus on culinary history, cultural identity, traditional narratives, symbolic meanings of food, ethnography, gastronomy, culinary tourism, hospitality, promotion, or general social and cultural aspects of food without a clear scientific or technological contribution to food science and technology are outside the scope of Pro Food.

The use of food or traditional cuisine as the research object does not automatically make a manuscript suitable for publication in Pro Food. The research questions, methods, measured variables, data analysis, and conclusions must fall within the scope of food science and technology.

Manuscripts that do not meet these scope requirements may be rejected by the editorial team without external peer review.

GENERAL MANUSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS

Authors must submit their manuscripts as electronic files. Before submission, authors must ensure that the manuscript complies with the Focus and Scope and the Article Scope and Eligibility requirements of Pro Food.

Manuscripts must be prepared in Microsoft Word using 10-point Tahoma font and 1.15 line spacing. Manuscripts may be written in Indonesian or U.S. English. The metric system must be used throughout the manuscript. Footnotes should be avoided, and essential information should be incorporated into the main text.

The manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

1. Title

2. Author Names and Affiliations

3. Abstract

4. Keywords

5. Introduction

6. Materials and Methods

7. Results and Discussion

8. Conclusion

9. Acknowledgements

10. Declarations

11. References

TITLE

The title should be brief, informative, and clearly indicate the main subject of the paper. The Indonesian and English titles must each contain no more than 14 words.

AUTHOR NAMES AND AFFILIATIONS

The full names of all authors must be written without academic or professional titles. Each author’s institutional affiliation and address must be provided clearly.

The corresponding author must provide an active email address that is unique to the author. The corresponding author is responsible for all communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, revision, and publication processes.

ABSTRACT

The abstract must be concise, factual, and written as a single paragraph. It should briefly describe:

1. The background or research problem

2. The objective of the study

3. The main methods

4. The principal results

5. The main conclusion

The abstract must not exceed 300 words and must be provided in both Indonesian and English.

References should be avoided in the abstract. When a reference is essential, the author’s name and year of publication must be provided. Uncommon abbreviations should also be avoided. When an abbreviation is essential, it must be defined at its first mention.

KEYWORDS

Authors must provide three to five keywords below each abstract. Keywords should represent the main content of the article and be arranged alphabetically. Words already used extensively in the title should be avoided where possible.

INTRODUCTION

The Introduction should explain:

1. The scientific background of the study

2. The research problem

3. A concise review of relevant previous studies

4. The research gap or novelty

5. The reason the study was necessary

6. The objective of the study

The Introduction should be supported by relevant and recent scientific references. General statements that are not directly related to the research problem should be avoided.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Materials and Methods section must provide sufficient information to allow the study to be evaluated and, where applicable, replicated.

This section should include:

1. The research design, location, and period of the study

2. A clear description of the materials, samples, treatments, experimental units, participants, panelists, respondents, or other research objects

3. The criteria used for sample or participant selection

4. The number of treatments, controls, replications, samples, panelists, respondents, or participants

5. A complete description of the experimental procedures, analytical methods, instruments, and equipment used

6. The manufacturer, brand, model, and country of origin of important instruments or commercial materials, where applicable

7. The variables measured and the procedures used to measure them

8. The statistical or other analytical methods used

9. The statistical software and level of significance, where applicable

10. A sample-size justification or power calculation, where appropriate

11. A statement of ethical approval and informed consent for studies involving human participants or animals

Generic names should generally be used. When proprietary materials or commercial products are used, the brand name and manufacturer should be provided in parentheses.

Studies involving sensory evaluation or consumer testing must clearly describe:

1. The criteria and number of panelists or participants

2. Whether the panelists were trained, semi-trained, or untrained

3. The sensory evaluation method

4. The measurement scale

5. The sample preparation and presentation procedure

6. The study design

7. The statistical analysis

Claims of consumer acceptance or sensory preference must not be based on an inadequate number of participants or informal interviews.

Qualitative or survey-based methods must not be used merely to describe cultural, historical, symbolic, tourism, or promotional aspects of food. Such methods are acceptable only when the research provides a direct and substantial contribution to food science and technology and meets the journal’s scope requirements.

For qualitative studies that fall within the journal’s scope, authors must clearly explain:

1. The qualitative research approach

2. The study context and location

3. The participant-selection criteria

4. The sampling method

5. The number and characteristics of participants

6. The data-collection procedure

7. The interview or observation instruments

8. The transcription and coding process

9. The data-analysis method

10. Triangulation or other procedures used to ensure credibility

11. Data saturation, where applicable

12. Researcher reflexivity and potential sources of bias

ETHICAL APPROVAL

Studies involving human participants or animals must provide the name of the ethics committee, the approval or exemption number, and the procedure used to obtain informed consent.

When formal ethical approval is not required by the author’s institution, the manuscript must include a clear statement explaining the institutional basis for the exemption.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results must be presented clearly, objectively, and in accordance with the research methods and variables described in the Materials and Methods section.

Appropriate statistical or analytical results must be provided in the text, tables, or figures. Authors should avoid presenting the same data repeatedly in different forms.

The discussion must:

1. Interpret the principal findings

2. Compare the findings with relevant previous studies

3. Explain the scientific contribution of the study

4. Discuss the practical implications of the findings

5. Explain unexpected or contradictory results

6. State the limitations of the study

The discussion must not merely repeat the results. Conclusions or interpretations that are not supported by the data must be avoided.

Claims regarding food quality, sensory acceptance, nutritional value, processing effectiveness, shelf life, antimicrobial activity, or food safety must be supported by appropriate measurements, an adequate number of samples or participants, and suitable data analysis.

Food-safety claims must not be based solely on traditional practices, sensory observations, acidity, or assumptions. Such claims must be supported by appropriate microbiological, chemical, physical, or toxicological evidence.

CONCLUSION

The Conclusion must clearly answer the objective of the research and present the main findings of the study.

The conclusion should explain the scientific importance and relevance of the findings to the field of food science and technology. It must be supported by the results presented in the manuscript and should not introduce new data, references, or unsupported claims.

The Conclusion must be written as a paragraph and not as a numbered list.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Acknowledgements section may be used to recognize individuals or institutions that contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship. This may include individuals who provided technical assistance, materials, facilities, language editing, or professional writing services.

Authors must obtain permission from all individuals named in the Acknowledgements section.

Individuals who are listed as authors should not also be acknowledged for the same contribution.

DECLARATIONS

The manuscript should include the following declarations:

Author Contributions

The specific contribution of each author must be stated clearly. All listed authors must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the study and must have approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support. When the study did not receive external funding, the authors should state that the research was self-funded or received no specific funding.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.

Data Availability

Authors must state where and how the data supporting the findings can be accessed. When data cannot be made publicly available, the reason must be explained.

Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

For research involving human participants or animals, authors must provide the relevant ethical approval and informed-consent information.

REFERENCES

The manuscript must contain at least 10 relevant references.

At least 60% of the references should consist of peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 10 years. The remaining references may include relevant books, proceedings, official reports, standards, and credible web sources.

References from Wikipedia, personal blogs, anonymous websites, or other unreliable sources should not be used. Unpublished results and personal communications are generally not recommended.

References must be prepared according to the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.

Authors are strongly encouraged to prioritize original research articles and authoritative scientific sources. Review articles may be used to support general discussions but should not replace relevant original references.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every source included in the reference list must be cited in the text.

In-text citations may be written in either of the following forms:

1. Parenthetical citation: the author’s name and publication year are placed in parentheses

2. Narrative citation: the author’s name is included in the sentence, followed by the publication year in parentheses

The term “in press” may only be used for a manuscript that has been formally accepted for publication.

The spelling of author names and publication years must be identical in the text and reference list.

WEB REFERENCES

Web references must include, where available:

1. The author or responsible institution

2. The year of publication or update

3. The title of the document or webpage

4. The name of the website or publisher

5. The full URL

6. The date of access

A DOI should be provided whenever available.

REFERENCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Authors are encouraged to use reference-management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote, or another reliable reference manager.

All references must be presented in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author and formatted consistently according to APA 7th edition.

MATHEMATICS AND EQUATIONS

Variables should be written in italics. Vectors and matrices should be written in bold. Appropriate script styles may be used for transforms, and sans serif type may be used for tensors.

Superscripts and subscripts must be formatted using the appropriate Microsoft Word functions. Raised or lowered regular fonts should not be used as substitutes.

Equations must be created using the built-in Microsoft Word Equation tool. Each equation should be numbered consecutively, with the equation number aligned to the right using a tab stop.

All symbols and variables must be defined when first introduced.

TABLES

Tables must be presented as editable text and not as images.

Each table must:

1. Be numbered consecutively

2. Have a clear and concise title

3. Include headings for all columns

4. Be cited in numerical order in the text

5. Be placed close to the relevant discussion

6. Include explanatory notes below the table where necessary

Column headings must clearly describe the data presented below them.

Vertical lines and cell shading should be avoided. Statistical abbreviations, symbols, and units must be explained in the table notes.

FIGURES

Figures must be numbered consecutively and cited in numerical order in the text.

Graphs and diagrams should be submitted in an editable format whenever possible. Photographs, micrographs, product images, and other raster images must have adequate resolution, preferably at least 300 dpi.

Each figure must have a caption written as editable text below the figure. Captions must not be embedded within the image.

A figure caption should include:

1. The figure number

2. A brief and informative title

3. A concise explanation of the figure

4. Definitions of symbols, abbreviations, and statistical markers

Text within figures should be kept to a minimum and remain legible at the final publication size.

Maps must include appropriate orientation, scale, and geographic coordinates where relevant.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures or images.