This document defines functional foods as natural or processed foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. It discusses the history of functional foods beginning in Japan in the 1980s and provides examples of classifications including by source, nutrients, non-nutrients, and target organ. The document outlines how foods become functional by eliminating antinutrients, increasing beneficial components, or adding new components. It provides examples of foods that are sources of vitamins, minerals, proteins, peptides, prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics which serve functional purposes like supporting bone health, metabolism, immunity, and gut microbiome.

1. FUNCTIONAL
FOODS

2. CONTENTS:
• Defination of functional foods
• History of Functional Foods
• Type of Classification:
 Nutrient(Vit, Minerals & Trace elements, Fatty acids, Proteins and
Peptides versus Non- Nutrient(Probiotics, Prebiotics & Synbiotic &
Secondary Plant Metabolites):
 According to target organ
 According to source or origin
• Metabolism of Xenobiotics

3. FUNCTIONAL FOOD
Any natural or processed foods that contain BIOACTIVE components which
provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value.
-Institute of Medicines Food & Nutrition Board

4. Classification of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
1. Food Source
2. Nutrient and Non Nutrient Source
3. Organ/Organ System
4. Modifications in foods
5. Specific Foods
6. Mechanism of actions
7. Chemical Nature

5. HISTORY
• The term ‘FUNCTIONAL FOOD’ was first used in the 1980s in Japan
• In 1991, the Japanese law entered the work definition ‘FOODS FOR SPECIFIED
HEALTH USE’(FOSHU) which allowed the first health claims on the food labelling
• In the late 1960s, Unilever developed spreads high in polyunsaturated fatty acids
aimed at reducing blood cholesterol level
• addition of plant sterols or stanols (Law,2000)
• As per report of 2023-Global Market size is USD 186.22 Billion and expected to grow
to USD 212.85 Billion at a CAGR of 2.71%
• Functional food in sports nutrition has emerged as the largest segment

6. PRODUCT TYPE EXAMPLES
Bakery Products Whole wheat grain
Multi grain breas
Millet Biscuits
Breakfast Cereals Muesli
Corn Flakes
Oats
Snack/Functional Bars Sports Bars
Energy Bars
Protein Bars
Dairy Products Yogurt
Yakult
Baby Foods Malt
Horlicks
Boost
Cerelacs
Easily
available
FUNCTIONAL
FOODS
in Market

8. • Eliminating antinutrients(ALLERGENIC
PROTEINS)component(soaking, sprouting, boiling)
• increasing the concentration of a naturally
component present in food to a point at which it
can induce beneficial effects (fort.with a
micronutrients to increase daily intake over
recommended
• Adding a beneficial component
• Increasing bioavailability or stability of a functional
component
Food becomes functional by:

9. FUNCTIONAL FOODS
FUNCTIONAL
FOOD
WHOLE
FOOD
ENHANCED
FOOD
ENRICHED/
FORTIFIED
FOOD

17. Functional
foods
Source/Origin
Nutrients & Non-Nutrients
Target organ

18. Functional foods as source of Vitamins:
• Vitamin C:Citrus (oranges, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit),Bell peppers,Strawberries,Tomatoes,etc
• Biotin: 50g Egg Yolk -10 mcg(33% of DV), legumes(100g of whole soyabeans-19.3 mcg of
biotin, 64% of DV), 20-gram of sunflower seeds -2.6 mcg of biotin -10% DV),Chicken and
Beef liver,etc)
• Folate : Legumes,Asparagus,eggs,Leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, Brussels sprouts,
broccoli, Nuts and seeds, Beef liver, Wheat germ, Papaya, Bananas, Avocados,etc
• Niacin: Beef liver, Chicken liver, Tuna, Salmon, Mushrooms, Green peas, Fortified foods,etc
• Pantothenic acid: Mushrooms, Salmon, Sunflower Seeds, Whole Milk, Lentils, etc
• Thiamine: Fortified breakfast cereals, PorkFishBeans, lentils,Enriched cereals, breads,etc
• Vitamin B12: Beef liver, clams, yeast, tuna, yogurt, cheese,etc
• Vitamin A: Leafy green vegetables,Tomatoes, Fish oils, etc
• Vitamin D: Cod liver oil, Salmon, Tuna fish, Egg yolk, Fortified cereals, etc
• Vitamin E: Wheat germ oil,Sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil, etc
• Vitamin K:Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Beet Green, Brussel Sprouts, Collard Green, etc

20. Minerals Function Sources
Calcium Bone & Tooth formation, blood clotting, cell permeability, nerve
stikmulation, muscle contraction
Milk, Hard cheese, Salmon, Dark green
vegetables, legumes
Magnesium Components of Bone & teeth, activation of many enzymes, nerve
stimulation, musclee contraction
Green leafy vegetables, Nuts, whole
grains, meat, milk, sea food
Phosphorus Bones and tooth formation, energy metabolism component of ATP
& ADP, Protein synthesis, component of DNA & RNA, Fat
transport,etc
Milk, meat, poultry, fish, eggs,
cheese,legumes, whole grains
Potassium Osmotic Pressure, water balance, nerve stimulation Meat, Fish, whole grains
Sodium Osmotic pressure, water balance, muscle contraction, protein
synthesis, glycogen formation
Table salts, salted foods, MSG, Fish
Chromium Increase glucose tolerance, role in lipid meatbolism Whole grain cereals, condiments, meat
products, etc
Iron

21. Role of PROTEINS & Peptides as Functional food
Proteins Function
Whey Protein High protein quality(129 amino acids)-support growth &
development, gastrointestinal function, mineral absorption
and immunity, high tryptophan(precursor of serotonin),
enhance sleep, etc
Skeletal muscle health, weight management
Lactoferrin Facilitates intestinal iron absorption in new bon, improve
iron status during pregnancy, bacteriostatic activities, etc
Peptides (Gly-Pro-Ala, Met-Tyr), Protein hydrolysate Antioxidant Activity(Gly-Pro-Ala, Met-Tyr)
, Antimicrobial Activity(defensins, cathelicidins, hepcidins,
peptides derived from histones and piscidins),
Antihypersensitivity ,etc

25. NON-NUTRIENT FUNCTIONAL FOODS

26. Factors affecting the intestinal micro ecosystem
• Antibiotics and other drug intake
• Microbial infecrtions
• Diet(highly processed, low fiber foods
• Chronic diarrhoes
• Stress
• Chlorinated water
• Radiation and Chemotherapy
• Colonies therapies for detoxification

30. Synbiotics
- mixture of probiotics and prebiotics that beneficially affect the host by improving the survival and activity of
beneficial microorganisms in the gut
- improve the viability of the probiotics
-mainly responsible for improving the survival and implantation of live microbial dietary supplements in the
gastrointestinal tract
-also selectively stimulate the growth and activate the metabolism of one or a limited number of health-promoting
bacteria
- purpose of synbiotics is to overcome possible survival difficulties for probiotics
Examples :- Fructooligosaccharide (FOS), GOS and xyloseoligosaccharide (XOS), Inulin; fructans are the most commonly
used prebiotics together with probitics such as Lacbobacilli, Bifidobacteria spp, S. boulardii, B. coagulans, etc. in
synbiotics