Functional Foods
The first definition of functional foods has been established in Japan. In 1991, the Japanese law entered the work definition “foods for specified health use” (FOSHU) which allowed the first health claims at the food labeling. The FOSHU can be foods which exhibit health effect, used as foods in a diet, and are in the form of foods not as supplements.A 2nd definition of functional foods developed by the “Functional Food Science in Europe” (FUFOSE): “Functional food is a food with certain beneficial results on one or more goal functions in the frame beyond the basic nutritional outcomes with a result the improved health state and properly being or reduction of risk of diseases. It is consumed as part of a normal diet and is not used in the shape of pill or capsule or any other form of dietary supplement” .
Recently, the Functional Food Center (FFC) introduced a new definition for functional foods as: “Natural or processed foods that contains known or unknown biologically-active compounds; which, in defined, effective non-toxic amounts, offer a clinically proven and documented health benefit for the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease”. In this definition, first functional foods may be natural or processed. Second, bio-active compounds, which are considered to be the supply of the functionality of the foods, are secondary metabolites arise in food usually in small amounts that act synergistically to benefit health. Specifically, bio-active compounds may “exert antioxidant, cardio-protective and chemo-preventive effects”.
Comments
Post a Comment