Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
13
Functional Foods
John W. Finley
contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................. 201
Definition ............................................................................................................... 202
What Is a Functional Food? .............................................................................. 202
Roles of Bioactive Ingredients .......................................................................... 203
Classes of Bioactive Ingredients ....................................................................... 203
Sources of Bioactive Ingredients.......................................................................204
Examples of Functional Food Ingredients .............................................................204
Soy, a Remarkably Functional Food .................................................................206
Lipids with Health Benefits 207
Antioxidants ...................................................................................................... 208
Antioxidant Vitamins ........................................................................................209
Carotenoids ....................................................................................................... 210
Phenolic Antioxidants ....................................................................................... 210
Flavonoids ......................................................................................................... 212
Determination of Bioactivity ................................................................................. 212
Nutrigenomics........................................................................................................ 213
The New Frontier in Functional Food Understanding ...................................... 213
Functional Foods in the Market ............................................................................. 214
Criteria............................................................................................................... 214
Study Topics ...................................................................................................... 214
References.............................................................................................................. 215
AbstRAct
Functional food has become a term used to describe foods or food ingredients that
provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Basic nutrition includes carbohy-
drates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals normally associated with essential
needs. Functional foods can range from additives such as soy sterols to formulated
foods such as calcium-fortified orange juice, to pure products such as oatmeal. Each
of these can deliver a benefit beyond basic nutrition. Soy protein and soy foods,
which contain phytosterols, are believed to deliver multiple health benefits. These
benefits include reduction of menopausal symptoms and reduction of coronary heart
disease risk. Fats are often thought of as negative factors in nutrition; however, sev-
eral functional foods are based on delivering healthier fats. It is clear that we need to
include more omega-3 (N-3) fatty acids in our diets. There are currently many foods
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