Understanding functional foods with nutra ingredients

FOOD products have faced a lot of criticism due to some of the ingredients associated with noncommunicable diseases, effects of some processes leading to losses in some essential nutrients and inclusion of some food additives that people feel may not be healthy.

- PROF JAGADISH PAI

Thus, manufacturers have started reformulating the food products to reduce the contents of sugar, fat and salt as well as trying to have clean labels that would be more acceptable to consumers. While doing so some problems appear not only of acceptability of sensory properties but also of safety and shelf-life issues. This has led to very careful evaluation of reformulated products.

Reformulation of Food Products

While reformulating, some developers have not only tried to ensure the inclusion of nutrients, they have started adding some ingredients that have health benefits beyond basic nutrition. This process became more prevalent since the recent global pandemic that shook the consumers who started looking for additional benefits from foods.

There are guidelines that suggest what foods and nutrients we must consume in order to remain healthy. Functional foods may be those that contain either nutrients or nutraceuticals added to the ordinary foods to make them health promoting. Nutraceuticals differ from the nutrients in the sense that they provide health benefits beyond that is provided by nutrients e.g., they reduce the risk of some of the diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and others.

Functional Foods with Nutraceutical Ingredients