| Food & Ingredients | | | Educ. Serv. | | | Tech Serv. | | | Market Serv. | | | E-Commerce Serv. |
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| LINKS | to Top |
- http://www.functionalfoods.nu/dyndefaultframe.asp
- Functional Foods has links to a variety of resources on the topic.
- http://www.cspinet.org/reports/funcfoodcomplaint.htm
- CSPI Documents Library on functional foods.
- http://www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1001247
- Expert Report on Functional Foods: Opportunities and Challenges is a report of the Institute of Food Technologists.
| INFORMATION | to Top |
The study of foods is interesting. One needs to constantly keep working and reading to keep up with the"new" terminology. In the past one talked about the functional properties of foods to refer to the way foods behaved in foods. Since the 1970s when there was discussion about using foods and other aspects of life to be healthy a different definition for functional foods has arisen. These foods are specifically selected due to their healthy aspects.
Riaz defines functional foods as"food products that provide specific health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients they contain...or foods containing significant levels of biologically active components that impart health benefits beyond basic nutrition." Functional food trends do not stand alone. Much more attention has been given to"value-added food categories founded on the specific health and preventative properties provided by certain foods." These, and other trends, contribute to the amazing amount of literature on the topic. The aging population is a related trend that leads to others like disease prevention, anti-aging, energy, immunity, and treatment (anti-aging and immunity being number one).
Functional foods are offered to improve lifestyle and performance, to help those with risk factors for the major diseases, and for those with chronic conditions. Many feel that these foods are an alternative to medications or are using them in a holistic approach to their conditions. According to Katz, these foods will become"better categorized and be described according to individual function, such as 'foods high in antioxidants,' 'foods rich in bioavailable calcium,' etc."
Riaz has identified five key markets for these foods: soft drinks, dairy, confectionary, bakery, and breakfast cereals. Mauro reviews the breakfast food category in depth. He says that fiber, vitamins, and minerals will play a great role in the future as functional foods and that Japan and Europe have widely accepted them already. Dietary fiber, oligosaccharides, calcium, calcium absorption promoters, iron, and carotene are perhaps the most important of the functional ingredients (based on sales).
Soy and its potential affect on cholesterol and cancer is just one example of food and disease relationship. Phytochemicals found in fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains are a leading course to approaching health through food. Whole grain food products seem to be making their way onto the forefront of the market. Kellogg's is now releasing its first line of functional foods, Ensemble, with a concentration on cholesterol-lowering psyllium (Kevin, 1999)
Some such"functional foods" are
| fiber enriched breakfast cereals and bread |
| oligosaccharides in confectionery, children's drinks, yogurts |
| acidophilus/bifidus in yogurts/desserts |
| fish oil enriched bread and spreads |
| calcium enriched milk |
| fiber enriched milk |
| fat replacers in foods |
Another area that is specifically referred to as phytochemicals. These are plant foods which have a chemical substance that has a healthy benefit. They may be catagorized as follows.
Phytochemical Actions
| Class of Compound | Compounds | Action/Comments |
| flavonoids | quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, chrysin, tangeretin, nobiletin, rutin | Possess anticancinogenic, antiinflammatory, antiallergic properties. |
| phytoestrogens | estrogens, isoflavones, lignans, resorcyclic acid lactones, coumestans | anticarcinogenic |
| REFERENCES | to Top |
- Andlauer, W. and P. Furst. 1998. Antioxidative power of phytochemicals with special reference to cereals. Cereal Foods World 43(5): 356.
- Kahlon, T.S. and P.M. Keagy. 2003. Benefits and Sources of Functional Foods. Cereal Foods World 48(3): 112.
- Katz, Fran. 1996February. Putting the function in functional foods. Food Processing 57(2): 56.
- Potter, David. 1994Oct-Nov. Raising the health threshold. The World of Ingredients pp. 54-55.
Updated: Sunday, March 30, 2008.
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