Food Research Institute

HISTORY OF THE JOURNAL OF FOOD AND NUTRITION RESEARCH

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research (JFNR) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to basic and applied research in food science, human nutrition, food safety, food chemistry, microbiology, bioactivity, and food technology. The journal is published by the National Agricultural and Food Centre (NPPC), Department of Food Science, Bratislava, Slovakia.

The origins of the journal date back to 1959, when the predecessor of today's Department of Food Science, the Research Institute of Refrigeration Technology, launched the professional periodical Informácie Výskumného ústavu mraziarenského (Information Bulletin of the Research Institute of Refrigeration Technology). Its primary objective was to disseminate research findings and promote knowledge on the application of refrigeration and freezing technologies in food production, processing, and storage.

Bulletin 1962–2005

A major milestone was reached in 1962, when, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the institute's establishment, the journal Bulletin Výskumného ústavu mraziarenského (Bulletin of the Research Institute of Refrigeration Technology) was founded. This marked the transition from an internal information bulletin to a scientific periodical.

Over the following decades, the journal evolved in parallel with the organizational development of its publisher and appeared under several titles:

• Bulletin Výskumného ústavu mraziarenského (1962–1963)
• Bulletin Výskumného ústavu pre konzerváciu potravín (1964)
• Bulletin Ústredného výskumného ústavu potravinárskeho, pobočka Bratislava (1965–1968)
• Bulletin Výskumného ústavu potravinárskeho (1969–1981)
• Bulletin potravinárskeho výskumu (Bulletin of Food Research) (1982–2005)

In 1982, under the title Bulletin potravinárskeho výskumu, the journal became the first Slovak scientific periodical with nationwide scope devoted exclusively to food research. During this period, its international visibility gradually increased, and articles published in the journal began to be indexed in major bibliographic databases, including Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA), FAO AGRIS (Agricultural Research Information System), CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), and others.

Throughout its existence, the journal provided a platform not only for researchers from Slovak and former Czechoslovak research institutions and universities, but also for contributors from abroad.

Establishment of the Journal of Food and Nutrition Research

A significant turning point came in 2006, when the journal underwent a comprehensive transformation and was relaunched under its current title, Journal of Food and Nutrition Research (JFNR). From that year onward, the journal has been published exclusively in English.

The transformation included:

• internationalization of the Editorial Board,
• implementation of modern publishing standards,
• strengthening of the peer-review process,
• stronger orientation toward the international scientific community.

These changes enabled the journal to gain inclusion in leading international citation and abstracting databases, including Web of Science and Scopus, thereby establishing its reputation as an internationally recognized scientific periodical.

Since 2011, JFNR has also been indexed in Current Contents / Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Sciences, further strengthening its international visibility and citation impact.

Editors-in-Chief

2006–2012      Prof. Peter Šimko, DrSc.
2013–2024      RNDr. Tomáš Kuchta, DrSc.
Since 2025      Ing. Martin Polovka, PhD.

Since 1993, the position of Managing Editor has been held by Ing. Zuzana Lichnerová, who has played a key role in the editorial management and day-to-day operation of the journal.

The journal's development has also been supported by dedicated members of the Editorial Board, reviewers, and managing editors, whose efforts have contributed significantly to maintaining high scientific standards and the international reputation of the journal.

At the present time

Building on more than six decades of continuous publishing activity, Journal of Food and Nutrition Research is the longest continuously published Slovak scientific journal dedicated to food science and nutrition.

The journal publishes original research papers, review articles, and short communications covering:

• food chemistry and food analysis,
• food microbiology and food safety,
• human nutrition,
• bioactive compounds,
• food technology,
• food quality and authenticity,
• risk assessment and consumer protection.

Today, JFNR publishes contributions from authors worldwide and is indexed in leading international abstracting and citation databases, serving as a platform for the dissemination of high-quality research in food and nutrition sciences, food technology and innovations.

Key milestones

1959	Launch of the professional journal Informácie Výskumného ústavu mraziarenského
1962	Publication of the first issue of the journal Bulletin Výskumného ústavu mraziarenského
1982	Launch of the journal Bulletin of Food Research — the first nationwide scientific journal focused exclusively on food research Inclusion of the journal in the renowned food science database Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA)
1993	Inclusion of the journal in the FAO AGRIS (Agricultural Research Information System) database
1999	Inclusion in other international abstract databases (Foodline Science, Chemical Abstracts Service, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, CAB Abstracts)
2006	Transition to the Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, published in English Inclusion of the journal in the Web of Science database
2007	Inclusion in the Scopus database
2008	Inclusion in the Journal Citation Reports database and assignment of its first impact factor
2011	Inclusion in the Current Contents / Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Sciences database
2026	Inclusion of the journal in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)