About this Research Topic
Functional foods add health benefits beyond basic nutritional benefits like protein and fiber. Some types contain supplements or other additional ingredients designed to improve health.
The concept originated in Japan in the 1980s when government agencies started approving foods with proven benefits in an effort to better the health of the general population. Some examples include foods fortified with vitamins, minerals, probiotics, or fiber, however nutrient-rich ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains are often considered functional foods as well. Beside these, seafood, fermented foods, herbs and spices, fortified juices, fortified dairy products, fortified milk alternatives, and fortified grains are also considered as functional foods.
Functional foods are typically high in important nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber. Diets rich in a variety of functional foods — including both conventional and fortified foods — can help ensure the supply of nutrients and protect against nutrient deficiencies. In fact, since the introduction of fortified foods, the prevalence of nutrient deficiencies has significantly decreased around the globe.
It is estimated that by 2050 food production will have to feed over 9 billion people worldwide. Coupled with current malnutrition trends stemming from poor quality diets that lead to a plethora of nutrition related human diseases such as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, diabetes, and so forth. There is therefore more pressure than ever to find ways to produce, process, and analyze high quality nutritious food ingredients from finite agricultural resources.
Current challenges in functional food research include developing bioactive food ingredients that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, and creating value-added food and non-food products from low-value agricultural resources. There is a need to develop new processing, chemical, physical, and enzymatic technologies for a range of applications such as; modifying food plants, enhancing the use and performance of agricultural materials, identifying the functional properties of food, testing food functionality, and formulating functional foods.
On April 8th 2023, the International Conference on “Functional Foods: adding value to the food” organized by Research and Innovation Support for Higher Impact (RISHI), and this associated Research Topic welcome both research and review articles in the field of functional food research, with particular interest and priority given to:
• development of innovative food products with functional attributes
• new technologies to solve problems of incorporating bioactive components in food products
• novel functional activity of food components
• benefits of new functional foods as raw material for novel components
• market potential of functional foods: challenges and solutions
The concept originated in Japan in the 1980s when government agencies started approving foods with proven benefits in an effort to better the health of the general population. Some examples include foods fortified with vitamins, minerals, probiotics, or fiber, however nutrient-rich ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains are often considered functional foods as well. Beside these, seafood, fermented foods, herbs and spices, fortified juices, fortified dairy products, fortified milk alternatives, and fortified grains are also considered as functional foods.
Functional foods are typically high in important nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber. Diets rich in a variety of functional foods — including both conventional and fortified foods — can help ensure the supply of nutrients and protect against nutrient deficiencies. In fact, since the introduction of fortified foods, the prevalence of nutrient deficiencies has significantly decreased around the globe.
It is estimated that by 2050 food production will have to feed over 9 billion people worldwide. Coupled with current malnutrition trends stemming from poor quality diets that lead to a plethora of nutrition related human diseases such as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity, diabetes, and so forth. There is therefore more pressure than ever to find ways to produce, process, and analyze high quality nutritious food ingredients from finite agricultural resources.
Current challenges in functional food research include developing bioactive food ingredients that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, and creating value-added food and non-food products from low-value agricultural resources. There is a need to develop new processing, chemical, physical, and enzymatic technologies for a range of applications such as; modifying food plants, enhancing the use and performance of agricultural materials, identifying the functional properties of food, testing food functionality, and formulating functional foods.
On April 8th 2023, the International Conference on “Functional Foods: adding value to the food” organized by Research and Innovation Support for Higher Impact (RISHI), and this associated Research Topic welcome both research and review articles in the field of functional food research, with particular interest and priority given to:
• development of innovative food products with functional attributes
• new technologies to solve problems of incorporating bioactive components in food products
• novel functional activity of food components
• benefits of new functional foods as raw material for novel components
• market potential of functional foods: challenges and solutions
Keywords: fortified foods, fermented foods, Nutrient-rich ingredients, fortified dairy products, Society Affiliation RT, antioxidants, nutrient deficiencies, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fibers, fortified juices
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