Functional Food

Functional Food are everyday foods that offer us additional support for one or more organs in both healthy and pathological conditions. Functional foods offer active bioactive compound(s) in addition to their regular nutritional content, and those bioactive compound(s) exhibit additional positive health effects. Functional foods are becoming progressively well-liked over the globe these days. People who live in developed nations include functional foods in their everyday diets.

Different bioactive substances, including carotenoids, peptides, polyphenols, etc., remain present in different types of functional food. These functions aid in growth and development, offer protection from oxidative stress, control metabolic activity, and more. Commercially functional foods are being manufactured in Japan. the United States, and Europe due to the high demand of the consumers.

Japan was the first country in the world that introduced the concept of functional food in mid 1980s.Later in 90s the European Commission Concerted Action on Functional Food Science in Europe (FUFOSE) was created to make a science based conceptual approach to functional food market.

Functional food can be grossly categorized into three categories as follow: (a) Conventional functional foods (unmodified natural food), examples: Whole fruits, vegetables grown, nuts, fish meats, etc. (b) Modified functional foods (These foods are modified through enrichment. fortification etc.) examples: Vitamin A-fortified orange juice, omega -3-fatty acid fortified eggs, etc. (c) Ingredient that has food functionality (Isolated or synthesized), examples: Pre and probiotics available in the ready to use form. [Hossain Uddin Shekhar]