Functional Foods. Principles and Technology

360 Pages·2009·5.738 MB·English

by  Mingro Guo (Auth.)

Functional foods:
principles
and
technology
Dr Mingruo Guo
Professor
Nutrition & Food Sciences Department
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
CRC Press
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PREFACE
The subject of functional foods is one of the hottest topics in food
science and nutrition. This trend will continue for a long time. I have
been teaching Functional Foods-Principles and Technology at University
of Vermont since 2000. The course is getting more and more popular on
the campus. Students in my classroom keep asking to have a textbook
for study and for future reference. Although there are a number of
books on functional foods available on the market, none of them are
written for classrooms. In 2005, I decided to take a one-half year
sabbatical leave to write a textbook for my class (I now realize that six
months was not sufficient to complete this task). The structure of the
book is based on my lecture notes. This textbook consists of nine chapters
and laboratory manuals as an appendix. Chapter 1 describes the
definition, history, and global aspects of functional foods. Chapters 2,
3, 4, 5 and 6 deal with some of the foundations of functional foods-
antioxidants, dietary fiber, pre- and probiotics, functional fatty acids,
and vitamins and minerals, respectively. Chapter 7 discusses the
chemistry and health benefits of soybeans and soy products. Chapter 8
deals with aspects of biochemistry and formulation of sports drinks.
The last chapter (9) discusses human milk chemistry and infant formula
formulation.
I sincerely thank my research associates Dr. Sumagala Gokavi
(Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 7), Dr. Mohamed Alam (Chapter 5 and 6), Dr.
Frank Lee (Chapter 8), Ms. Beth Rice (Chapter 8), and my friend Dr.
Gregory Hendricks of the Medical School of University of
Masssachusetts (Chapter 9) for their help and their expertise to get my
lecture notes together.
I would also like to thank my graduate students and the
undergraduate students who attended my functional foods class during
the years for their valuable comments and feedback about my lectures
on functional foods.
Finally, I am grateful to Randy Gerstmyer, the President of CTI
Publications, for his interest in this book and his patience while working
with me on this exciting project.
Mingruo Guo
Burlington, Vermont
While the recommendations in this publication are based on
scientific study and industry experience, references to basic
principles, operating procedures and methods, types of instruments
and equipment, and food formulas, are not to be construed as a
guarantee that they are sufficient to prevent damage, spoilage, loss,
accidents or injuries, resulting from use of this information.
Furthermore, the study and use of this publication by any person
or company is not to be considered as assurance that that person
or company is proficient in the operations and procedures discussed
in this publication. The use of the statements, recommendations,
or suggestions contained, herein, is not to be considered as creating
any responsibility for damage, spoilage, loss accident or injury,
resulting from such use.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to Ying, Fei, and Mike for their love, support
and encouragement, and to my late mother who played a critical role
in my education.
This Book Belongs To:
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Definition, History and Market
A food may have three functions: (1) providing energy in the form of
carbohydrates, proteins and/or lipids, and basic nutrition; (2) giving us
pleasure, i.e., enjoyable aroma, color, and taste; (3) having health
benefits. A functional food may be similar in appearance to, or is a
conventional food, is consumed as a part of normal diet, and has
physiological benefits and/or reduces the risk of chronic disease beyond
basic nutrition.
Functional foods are also called “nutraceuticals”, “medical foods”, or
“designer foods” in the literature. The terminology, functional foods,
for these beneficial foods is preferred due to the self descriptive nature
of the term.
Some examples are iodized salt, vitamin A and D fortified milk,
yogurt, folic acid enriched bread, tomatoes, broccoli, soy products,
blueberries, cranberries, garlic, wheat bran, and oats. Functional foods
can be the foods which are natural, fortified, enriched, or contain
functional ingredients.
The term functional food was coined by Japanese scientists in the
1970’s and was introduced to the European scientific community in the
1980’s. Functional foods did not receive much notice in the U.S. until
the 1990’s, where they first gained popularity in the west coast. However,
the roots could be traced back to the Chinese who used foods as medicine
for thousands of years.
The market sale value for functional foods was over $10 billion in
2005 in the U.S. according to a strict definition. In fact, the functional
foods market will reach about $36 billion in 2006, and it will jump up to
$60 billion in 2009 (NMI, 2005). Based on my personal calculations,
current functional foods market value will exceed $100 billion if a
general definition for functional foods is applied. It is increasing with a
growth rate of 10% annually. The global functional foods market will
continue to be a dynamic and growing segment of the food industry.
Functional foods are considered to be the foods for the next century.
2 FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Awareness of Functional Foods
The good news is that the concept of functional foods is becoming
more widespread. More than 90% of Americans could name a functional
food and its associated benefits in 2005 up from 77% in 1998, and 84%
in 2002 (IFIC, 2005). The vast majority of Americans believe foods have
health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Through education and media
exposure, the benefits of functional foods are more widely understood
by the population. A survey to identify which functional foods’ benefits
were recognized by the majority of the population revealed that while
some foods were clearly identified with their benefits, others were not.
An example of these results is presented in Figure 1.1.
FIGURE 1.1 — Awareness of Functional Foods and Disease Association
Calcium for the promotion of bone health 93%
Fiber for maintaining a healthy digestive system 92%
Vitamin D for the promotion of bone health 88%
Whole grains for reducing risk of heart disease 83%
Probiotics for maintaining a healthy digestive system 49%
Soy for reducing risk of heart disease 41%
Plant sterols for reducing risk of heart disease 30%
(Adapted from IFIC, 2005)
Figure 1.1 indicates that while more than 90% of respondents were
aware of the association of calcium and bone health, less than 50% were
aware of the benefits of probiotics (the living organisms that can be found
in yogurt) supporting a healthy balance of microflora in the human digestive
tract. These will be addressed in greater detail later in the course. Only
about 40% of respondents were familiar with or associated soy protein
with reducing the risk of heart disease. Despite the low level of awareness
of certain functional food benefits, the overall awareness is growing, which
explains the increase in consumption of functional foods. Consumers want
to learn more about the health benefits offered by foods that have health
benefits beyond nutrition. Figure 1.2 shows that awareness for health
benefits of some functional foods are gaining ground. The awareness comes
from several sources such as the government, health care providers,
personal health concerns, and friends and family. The source of information
about health and nutrition is primarily from the media accounting for
72%, medical sources ranking second with 44%, and 20% obtained from
friends and family or self. Diet and health books account for only 13%.
With the growing awareness of these benefits, the food industry has
shown an interest in meeting the growing demand for functional foods.
What foods will people want to be fortified with these functional
INTRODUCTION 3
ingredients? The foods we consume everyday such as juices and milk
are the answers. Health officials in the government and in hospitals
also are interested in finding ways to deliver more of these benefits to
the population. Some examples of government intervention in delivering
functional food were a move to iodize salt and to add fluoride to public
drinking water. Research has been done on what food sources would be
most acceptable to the population for the delivery of antioxidants (often
found in less popular foods such as fruits and green vegetables). A large
majority of the people would find fruit juice fortified with antioxidants
appealing while only about 1/3 would like it in candy, indicating more
Americans are interested in natural and functional foods.
FIGURE 1.2 — Top Five Sources of Information
About Health and Functional Foods
Media (Internet, magazines, TV, newspapers, newsletters) 72%
Medical sources (Physicians, nutritionists, dietitians, nurse/PA) 44%
Friends/family/self 20%
Diet/health books 13%
Researchers/scientists 4%
(Adapted from IFIC, 2005).
Evolution of Health Care and Functional Foods
This increasing interest in functional foods represents a paradigm
shift from eliminating “bad” to increasing the “good” components that
one consumes. It is a widely held belief that most people have control
over their health and a large part of that is controlling their diet. In a
way our method of ensuring health and long life has come full circle
(Figure 1.3).
One explanation of this is that we have not had many large infectious
disease outbreaks. Therefore, most of the population is more concerned
with non-infectious diseases; obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.
The diseases that are commonly associated with what we eat are heart
disease, diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), dental diseases,
gastrointestinal disease, anemia, and obesity (65% of U.S. residents are
overweight, and the instance of obesity is 25% of the population).
The life expectancy in the U.S. is increasing, and the older population
is increasing with it. Currently 12% of the population is over 65, by
2030 it is expected that 20% of the population will be over 65. The key
to maintaining good health is a healthy balanced nutritious diet,
especially when health care comes at such a great financial burden for
the U.S. population.
4 FUNCTIONAL FOODS
FIGURE 1.3 — Evolution of Mankind's Health Care
Health Claims Approved by FDA
The Nutrition Label Education Act (NLEA) allows certain claims to
be made by food manufacturers. This is another advantage for functional
foods development and manufacturing. The list of approved claims
(claims adequately backed by scientific research) includes:
Calcium and osteoporosis;
Dietary lipids and cancer;
Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol and risk of coronary
heart disease (CHD);
Sodium and hypertension;
Fiber containing grains, fruits and vegetables and cancer;
Fruits and vegetables, and cancer;
Fruits, vegetables, and grain products and risk of CHD;
Noncarcinogenic carbohydrate sweeteners and dental caries;
Folic acid and neural tube defects;
Soluble fiber from certain foods and risk of CHD;
Soy protein and cardiovascular disease;
Plant sterol/stanol ester and CHD.