Functional Foods: Definition, Classification, and Industry Shift

Functional Foods: An Overview

Defining Functional Foods

• Over the past 20+ years, nutrition research has shifted focus to the role of nutrients and other bioactive compounds in disease prevention and risk reduction.
• This is a contrast to prior decades focused on deficiency diseases and the nutrients needed for their cure.
• The concept of foods providing health benefits beyond basic nutrition arose from epidemiological studies showing plant-based diets' protective effects against cancer and heart disease.
• Foods with potentially beneficial health effects are termed "functional foods."
• All food is essentially functional because it provides energy and nutrients necessary to maintain life.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Definition

• Functional foods are defined as whole foods, along with fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods.
• These foods have potential health benefits when consumed regularly as part of a varied diet at effective levels.
• Many processed foods can become functional foods through fortification or enrichment (e.g., sterile enriched margarines).

Nutraceuticals vs. Functional Foods

• The terms "nutraceuticals" and "functional foods" are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
• Nutraceuticals typically refer to bioactive compounds that provide a health benefit, often in supplement form.
• Functional foods are always in food form.

Shift in Food Industry Focus

• Before 1995, the food industry primarily focused on removing less healthy ingredients (e.g., low fat, sugar-free).
• Functional foods shift the focus to adding beneficial ingredients to achieve similar effects.

Classification of Functional Foods

1. Conventional Foods

• Contain naturally occurring bioactive compounds.
• Examples include:
  • Isoflavones in soy-based foods
  • Naturally occurring antioxidants in fruits and vegetables
  • Probiotics in yogurt

2. Modified Foods

• Contain added bioactive food compounds through enrichment or fortification.
• Examples include:
  • Omega-three enriched eggs
  • Sterile enriched margarine or milk

3. Synthesized Food Ingredients

• Include indigestible carbohydrates that provide prebiotic benefits.
• Examples include gums produced by bacteria.