Table of Contents
- What are Functional Foods?
- Classification of functional foods
- Types of Functional Foods
- Product developments of functional foods
- Cereals as functional foods
- Legumes as functional foods
- Vegetables as functional foods
- Fruits as functional foods
- Probiotics as functional foods
- Prebiotics as functional foods
- Functional drinks
- Bakery products as functional foods
- Functional eggs
- Functions of functional foods
What are Functional Foods?
- Food serves as a source of vitamins and minerals that act as cell substrates for energy, cell differentiation, and proliferation.
- It maintains, supports, and provides benefits to the human body.
- Functional foods are those in which components have been removed, modified, or added using enzymatic, chemical, or technological methods to provide specific health benefits.
- The concept of functional foods originated in Japan in the 1980s, introduced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
- This concept spread to North America and other markets over time.
- The first category of "Foods for Specified Health Use" (FOSHU) was established in 1991.
- Functional foods are increasingly in demand due to their health benefits and their profitability in the business sector.
- According to the International Food Information Council (IFIC), functional foods are foods or dietary components that may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
- According to Health Canada, functional foods are similar to conventional foods in appearance, consumed as part of the usual diet, and provide physiological benefits while reducing the risk of chronic diseases beyond basic nutrition.
- Functional foods include whole, fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods or dietary components.
- They aim to control and reduce the risk of chronic diseases while offering health benefits beyond traditional nutrients.
- These foods are consumed as part of a daily diet and include vitamin-enriched products.
- Functional foods may be natural or processed and contain biologically active compounds.
- These compounds improve human health and reduce the risk of diseases such as dyslipidemia, cancer, type-2 diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Commonly referred to as nutraceuticals, medical foods, probiotics, pharmafoods, vitafoods, and designer foods, these terms reflect their growing global popularity.
- Examples of functional foods include beans, berries, cruciferous vegetables, herbs, green tea, nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits, pumpkin, fish, soy, spinach, sweet potatoes, tea, tomatoes, nuts, whole grains, and yogurt.
- Developments in functional foods include fortified foods with vitamins and/or minerals such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
- Enriched with micronutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterol, and soluble fiber.
- Promote good health and prevent diseases.
- Functional food products are utilized in various markets such as dairy, confectionery, soft drinks, bakery products, and baby foods.
Classification of functional foods
According to the International Life Sciences Institute, food serves three essential roles in the human body:
- The first role is to provide the necessary nutrition required for daily functions, including growth and development.
- The second role is to offer sensory satisfaction through taste, appearance, and aroma, contributing to overall well-being.
- The third role is to regulate physiological processes in the body through components other than the primary nutrients found in food.
Types of Functional Foods
Functional foods are classified into the following five types:
1. Conventional Foods as a functional food
2. Fortified and enriched food as a functional food
3. Dietary supplements
4. Altered products
5. Enhanced commodities
1. Conventional Foods:
- These are naturally functional foods containing beneficial components inherent to the food itself.
- Examples include apples, broccoli, soy, and fish.
2. Fortified and Enriched Foods:
- Fortified Foods: These are foods to which functional components or nutrients are added to enhance their nutritional value.
- Example: Adding vitamin C to fruit juices.
- Enriched Foods: These are foods where new nutrients or components not originally present are added.
- Examples: Margarine enriched with plant sterols, esters, probiotics, and prebiotics.
3. Dietary Supplements:
- These are legally recognized as functional foods and are available in forms such as pills, tablets, capsules, powders, or liquids.
- They contain specific functional dietary constituents.
4. Altered Products:
- Foods where harmful components are removed and replaced with beneficial substances.
- Examples: Fiber replacing fat in meat or ice cream products.
5. Enhanced Commodities:
- Foods with naturally enhanced beneficial components achieved through techniques like improved feed composition or genetic modification.
- Example: Eggs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids through modified chicken feed.
Product developments of functional foods
- Cereals as functional foods
- Legumes as functional foods
- Vegetables as functional foods
- Fruits as functional foods
- Probiotics as functional foods
- Prebiotics as functional foods
- Functional drinks
- Functional Bakery Products
- Functional eggs
Cereals as Functional Foods
- Cereals and their components are rich sources of dietary fiber, proteins, energy, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They serve as fermentable substrates for probiotic growth, supporting gut health.
- Cereal starch is utilized as an encapsulating material for probiotics, enhancing their stability during storage and promoting their viability in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Beta-glucan, a key functional component of cereals, is widely used in dairy and bakery industries to create products such as low-fat ice cream and yogurt.
- Common examples of cereal-based functional foods and nutraceuticals include wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, and buckwheat.
Nutrient Composition by Cereal Parts:
- Outer Bran Layer: Rich in vitamin B, phytonutrients (flavonoids, indoles), and a small amount of protein.
- Endosperm: Primarily contains carbohydrates.
- Germ Layer: Contains minerals (iron, zinc), antioxidants, and vitamin E.
Health Benefits:
- Helps prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
- Reduces the risks of heart disease, cholesterol, and fat absorption.
- Lowers tumor incidence.
- Improves gastrointestinal health.
Legumes as Functional Foods
- Legumes, commonly classified as functional foods, are an excellent source of protein and contain bioactive phytochemicals with non-nutritive properties.
- They are also rich in essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and dietary fiber (non-starch polysaccharides).
- Legumes contain beneficial non-nutritive compounds such as phytosterols, isoflavones, saponins, phenolic compounds, antioxidants (e.g., tocopherols and flavonoids), and phytoestrogens.
- The growing demand for pulses and legumes can be attributed to their numerous health-promoting benefits.
Health Benefits:
- Provides protection against cancer.
- Helps reduce cholesterol levels and regulate blood glucose responses.
Vegetables as functional foods
- Vegetables, classified as functional foods, are abundant in essential nutrients such as vitamins, fiber, flavonoids, carotene, minerals, and natural pigments.
- While low in calories, they are densely packed with vital components that contribute to overall health and help prevent various diseases.
Fruits as functional foods
- Fruits are a rich source of essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, while being low in calories and fat. This makes them highly beneficial for overall health.
- They provide soluble dietary fibers and powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols, vitamin C, flavonoids, and anthocyanins.
Benefits:
- Help prevent chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension.
- Offer protection against aging.
- Reduce the risk of infections, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, and osteoporosis (weak bones).
Probiotics as functional foods
- Probiotics are live microorganisms, primarily lactic acid-producing bacteria like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria, found in foods or dietary supplements. These microorganisms are beneficial to health, as they help combat harmful microbes and offer a range of health benefits.
- Probiotic functional foods are commonly found in dairy products, such as synbiotic drinking kefir, synbiotic yogurt, HunCult fermented drink, Milli Premium sour cream, Aktivit quark dessert, new party buttercream, and Probios cheese cream.
- Probiotic yogurt is one example that is particularly beneficial for people who are lactose intolerant. Additionally, fruit juice can be an ideal medium for fortifying with probiotic cultures.
Benefits:
- Helps lower blood lipids and reduces the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and harmful enzyme activities in the colon.
- Enhances calcium absorption in the intestine.
- Reduces carcinogenicity.
- Stimulates the immune system.
Prebiotics as functional foods
- Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that positively affect gut microflora.
- Key prebiotic components include fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin, isomalto-oligosaccharides, polydextrose, lactulose, and resistant starch. These compounds promote the growth of beneficial bacteria like bifidobacteria and possess antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Benefits:
- Helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and osteoporosis.
- Regulates intestinal transit.
- Boosts the immune system.
- Inulin and oligofructose enhance calcium absorption, improving bone mineral content and bone mineral density (BMD).
- Oligosaccharides aid in controlling obesity.
Functional drinks
- Functional drinks are non-alcoholic beverages enriched with vitamins such as A, C, and E, or other beneficial components.
- Examples include cholesterol-lowering drinks made with omega-3 and soy, eye health drinks containing lutein, and bone health drinks fortified with calcium and inulin.
Bakery products as functional foods
- The development of functional bakery products is still evolving, with a primary focus on enhancing taste, appearance, and texture to improve customer satisfaction.
- In 2003, Unilever launched a white bread called Blue Band Goede Start, which incorporates the nutritional benefits typically found in brown bread. This includes fibers, vitamins B1, B3, and B6, iron, zinc, and inulin (a prebiotic starch derived from wheat).
Functional eggs
- Functional eggs are those enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and essential vitamins such as D, E, B12, and folic acid.
- In 1997, Belovo, a company based in Belgium, introduced eggs fortified with omega-3 and various vitamins.
Functions of functional foods
- Foods rich in potassium help lower the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
- Protein-rich, low-fat foods can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
- Calcium-rich foods contribute to reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
- Certain functional foods can help prevent cancer.
- Folate is beneficial in reducing the risk of neural tube birth defects.
- Dietary sugar alcohols help minimize dental cavities.
