It was mainly the advances in understanding the relationship between nutrition and health that resulted in the development of the concept of functional foods, which means a practical and new approach to achieve optimal health status by promoting the state of well-being and possibly reducing the risk of disease. Functional foods are found virtually in all food categories, however products are not homogeneously scattered over all segments of the growing market. The development and commerce of these products is rather complex, expensive and risky, as special requirements should be answered. Besides potential technological obstacles, legislative aspects, as well as consumer demands need to be taken into consideration when developing functional food. In particular, consumer acceptance has been recognized as a key factor to successfully negotiate market opportunities. This paper offers a brief overview of the current functional food market situation in USA, Japan and some European countries completed with some comments on functional food future potential. It explores the main challenges of such product development focusing on the different factors determining the acceptance of functional food. Furthermore it discusses some prominent types of these food products currently on the market.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.05.060 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
School of Agriculture and Food Systems, Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
The management of micronutrients, such as boron (B) and zinc (Zn), is critical for plant growth and crop yields. One method of rapid intervention crop management to mitigate nutritional deficiency is the foliar supply of B and Zn. Our study investigates the effect of foliar-supplied B and Zn availability on the global transcriptional modulation in soybean (Glycine max).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Pharm Bull
January 2025
Division of Bio-Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Medical and Life Sciences, 265-1 Higashijima, Akiha-ku, Niigata 956-8603, Japan.
Postmenopausal women are at a higher risk of developing dyslipidemia and osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency, necessitating regular vitamin D supplementation and the use of cholesterol inhibitors, respectively, to prevent these conditions. Despite current treatments, alternatives are needed to address both conditions simultaneously. Ergosterol, a precursor of vitamin D, is a fungal sterol converted to brassicasterol by 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, a cholesterol biosynthesis enzyme that converts 7-dehydrocholesterol (a precursor of vitamin D) into cholesterol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltrason Sonochem
January 2025
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Food Engineering, Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong 030619, PR China. Electronic address:
Polysaccharides from the dried tuber of Typhonium giganteum Engl. (TGEPs) were obtained by utilizing ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) as the extraction method. The determination of optimal process parameters for the UAE of TGEPs (TGEP-U) was accomplished through the application of response surface methodology (RSM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Chem
January 2025
College of Food Science and Engineering, Changchun University, Changchun 130022, China. Electronic address:
Recent studies have emphasized the modification of Insoluble Dietary Fiber (IDF) to enhance its physicochemical properties and functional performance. This study systematically examined the effects of ultrasonic treatment, microwave irradiation, high-temperature and high-pressure processing, and screw extrusion on the physicochemical characteristics, in vitro antioxidant activity, and adsorption capacities of High-Purity Insoluble Dietary Fiber (HPIDF) derived from black bean residues. Although these physical modifications did not alter the functional group composition or crystalline structure of HPIDF, they significantly enhanced its porosity, water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), and adsorption capacities for glucose, cholesterol, bile salts, and metal ions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Department of Medicinal Plants, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arak University, Arak, 38156-8-8349, Iran.
Identifying the optimal cultivation regions and evaluating the impact of environmental factors are crucial for selecting the best conditions for the commercial production of important medicinal and industrial plants. This study examined the effects of different cultivation areas-Rayen, Eghlid, Kalat, and Zanjan-on the agro-morphological and phytochemical traits of Glycyrrhiza glabra. The findings revealed that the location where the plants were grown significantly influenced their physical and chemical characteristics.
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