Functional foods, also known, amongst other things, as FOSHU (foods for specific health use), pharmafoods, and nutraceuticals, are foods or beverages that provide medical or health benefits to the consumer. There are several high performance food ingredients that have been demonstrated to possess such health benefits including: Omega 3 for a healthier heart and circulatory system; folic acid which when taken during early pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects in babies; and soya for both the cholesterol reducing properties of its proteins and the recently claimed anti-cancerous effects of its naturally occurring oestrogen, genistein.
The functional foods sector was originally developed and exploited by the Japanese. A prime example is Yakult, a fermented milk drink, which is arguably one of the most widely consumed probiotic products in the world. However, now the West is moving more and more into this lucrative market. Benecol is a margarine first developed in Finland containing stanol ester, an ingredient clinically proven to reduce cholesterol in blood serum. This margarine proved to be hugely popular in Finland despite its initial high price compared with other brands, and is now marketed as far afield as North America.
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Dramatic changes are occurring in the food industry in terms of new products and technologies which, accompanied by the increase in the number of tradeshows and conferences, highlight the growing importance of functional foods in the West. This revolution is not surprising considering the world market for functional foods was worth $41 billion in 1998, with Europe’s share accounting for $14 billion and EU sales expected to reach $55 billion in 2000. Increasingly, more and more foods claiming to possess health-promoting properties are being introduced into the market place. This trend is not only a growing concern for regulatory bodies and health professions, but also for consumer organisations, which are already demanding tighter controls on labelling requirements, and increased research to substantiate manufacturers’ health claims. In the UK, the Food Advisory Committee (FAC) has addressed this concern, resulting in a set of preliminary guidelines. These guidelines are currently being developed into a Code of Practice by the Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI), a partnership between food manufacturers and retailers, enforcement officers, and consumer organisations. In contrast, the functional foods market in the US has been allowed to grow largely unchecked with no clear-cut guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Access to current information on functional foods describing the advances in research and development, new legislation, improved technologies, novel ingredients, consumer attitudes and responses can be obtained by searching Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA). The database is created by a team of skilled scientists who write summaries sourced from over 2000 different world-wide publications, including journals, patents, legislation, books, reports, conference proceedings, and theses. The following abstracts are just a few examples of some recent records added to the FSTA database.
ABSTRACTS
Journals articles:
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By GlobalDataLevels of probiotic bacteria in South African commercial bio-yoghurt.
Lourens, A.; Vilijoen, B.; Jooste, P.
Food Review 27 (2) 31, 33 (2000) [En] [Dep. of Microbiol. & Biochem., Univ. of Orange Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa]
Levels of probiotic bacteria in South African probiotic yoghurts of different brands were studied. 72 commercial flavoured (apricot) and plain probiotic yoghurts belonging to 3 brands and containing cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus and L. bulgaricus were subjected to microbiological and chemical analysis. Average counts of L. acidophilus in flavoured and plain yoghurts were 10(7) and 10(6)-10(7) cfu/ml, respectively, while average counts of B. bifidum were significantly lower (P £ 0.5) in plain than apricot yoghurt (10(1) vs. 10(3) cfu/ml). S. thermophilus was the dominant species with counts of 10(7)-10(8) cfu/ml in both plain and flavoured yoghurts; high levels of S. thermophilus in combination with L. acidophilus and B. bifidum enabled survival of all 3 species. Levels of L. bulgaricus were also high considering that manufacturers are advised not to use this species in cultures due to tendency to overgrowth; significant increases (P £ 0.05) in survival rates of B. bifidum and L. acidophilus were observed in yoghurts containing low levels of L. bulgaricus. Significant differences in bacterial counts were observed between brands, batches and flavours. Viable counts of L. acidophilus and B. bifidum decreased at low pH levels. Results indicated that the tested brands contained sufficient viable counts of L. acidophilus to meet criteria for probiotic yoghurts; however, levels of B. bifidum would be insufficient at the time of consumption, probably due to overgrowth of L. bulgaricus.
Nutritional functions of cocoa and chocolate.
Kattenberg, H. R.
Manufacturing Confectioner 80 (2) 33-37 (2000) [44 ref. En] [ADM Cocoa BV, Netherlands]
Nutritional and health-promoting properties of cocoa and chocolate are discussed with reference to: importance of chocolate as a source of dietary antioxidants (antioxidative activity of cocoa flavonoids, dependence of antioxidative activity (i.e. flavonoid content) on type of cocoa bean); ability of cocoa flavonoids to increase resistance to LDL oxidation and provide some protection against cardiovascular disease; anticarcinogenic effects of chocolate and cocoa polyphenols; inhibitory effects of cocoa extracts on autoimmune diseases such as stomach ulcers; patenting of an antioxidative cocoa extract that increases stamina and reduces fatigue during exercise; results of research studies indicating that antioxidative effects of chocolate polyphenols can increase life expectancy; high fibre content in cocoa; and other effects of chocolate (consumer guilt over chocolate consumption despite beneficial effects, soothing effects of anandamide in chocolate, inability of chocolate to increase serum cholesterol levels despite high content of saturated fatty acids due to high proportion of stearic acid, indications that stearic acid is not completely digested in the body suggesting that calorific values of chocolate may be lower than previously thought).
Activity of edible mushrooms against the growth of human T4 leukemic cancer cells, HeLa cervical cancer cells, and Plasmodium falciparum.
Lovy, A.; Knowles, B.; Labbe, R.; Nolan, L.
Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants 6 (4) 49-57 (1999) [20 ref. En] [Inst. of Biol. Chem., Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99163, USA]
Dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), ethanol and water extracts of several edible Hymenomycete mushroom species were screened for possible inhibitory activity against human T4 leukaemic cancer cells, HeLa cervical cancer cells, Plasmodium falciparum (a pyrimethamine resistant malarial parasite), and 6 pathogenic microorganisms (including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium). Extracts of Grifola frondosa, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes and Laetiporus sulphureus demonstrated activity against human T4 leukaemic cancer cells. Extracts of G. frondosa, G. lucidum, L. edodes and Lentinula aurantiacum demonstrated activity against HeLa cervical cancer cells. Extracts of Polyporus umbellatus, Russula xerampelina, G. lucidum, Trametes versicolor, L. aurantiacum, L. sulphureus, Boletus variipes, Boletus queletii, G. frondosa, and L. edodes demonstrated activity against P. falciparum. No activity was observed against the pathogenic microorganisms.
Conference Proceedings:
Functional foods for disease prevention I: fruits, vegetables, and teas. [Conference Proceedings]
Shibamoto, T.; Terao, J.; Osawa, T. (Editors)
336pp. ISBN 0-84123-572-4 (1998) [En] 1155 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA; American Chemical Society. Price $94
This book contains persectives on the role of functional foods in the prevention of disease. This first of 2 volumes focuses on the role of fruits, vegetables and teas in prevention of human diseases (including cancer, cardiovascular disease, ageing and other conditions) and covers current scientific research and the impact of this research on policy and regulation of functional foods. The publication is divided into 23 chapters that are grouped into sections with the following headings: Perspective and overview (4 chapters); Natural plants – fruits and related compounds (7 chapters); Natural plants – vegetables and related compounds (7 chapters); and Natural plants – teas and related compounds (5 chapters). Plant food components that are discussed in the context of functional foods include: phytochemical components of brassicas, g-tocopherol, carotenoids, auraptene, apple pectin, yiegin, soy components, flavonoids, anthocyanins, dietary fibre, tea extracts and tea catechins and polyphenols.
Functional food research in Europe. [Conference Proceedings]
Mattila-Sandholm, T.; Kauppila, T. (Editors)
VTT Symposium 187, 125 pp. (1998) [many ref. En] [VTT Biotech. & Food Res., Microbiol. & Safety, Tietotie 2, PO Box 1501, FIN-02044 VTT, Finland. Tel. +358 9 4561. Fax +358 9 455 2028]
Proceedings of the 3rd workshop of the FAIR Demonstration project entitled ‘Demonstration of the nutritional functionality of probiotic foods’ (FAIR CT96-1028) held at Haikko Manor, Finland from 1-2 Oct. 1998 are presented. Abstracts of papers and posters presented by coordinators from 21 different EU research projects associated with functional foods and nutrition are included. Topics covered include: functional food science in Europe, Japan, the USA and the Pacific Rim; understanding and improving the selection and acceptance of foods for health promotion; clinical trials of probiotics; molecular tools for analysing the properties of probiotic bacteria; effects of different dietary carbohydrates on colon function; phenolic phytoprotectants and their anticancer properties; biological effects of dietary complex phenols and tannins and their implications for consumer health; improvement of quality and nutritional value of processed food using natural antioxidants; health and safety aspects of use of enterococci in food fermentation systems; nutritional enhancement of plant foods in Europe; novel food additives; and use of bioactive components from milk for production of functional ingredients.
Probiotics: mechanisms and established effects. [Conference Proceedings]
Ouwehand, A. C.; Kirjavainen, P. V.; Shortt, C.; Salminen, S.
International Dairy Journal 9 (1, Recombinant dairy starters, probiotics, and prebiotics: scientific, technological, and regulatory challenges) 43-52 (1999) [72 ref. En] [Dep. of Biochem. & Food Chem., Univ. of Turku, Fin-20014 Turku, Finland. Tel. +358-2-333-6894. Fax +358-2-333-6860. E-mail arthur.ouwehand@utu.fi]
The definition of probiotics is discussed in relation to mechanisms underlying their effects on human health. Properties of probiotic microorganisms are described with reference to: selection criteria; viability; attachment to the intestinal mucosa; in vitro model systems for studying adhesion; production of antimicrobial substances; immune modulation (related or not related to adhesion); and well characterized probiotic strains and their clinical effects. Recommendations are given for the way in which future research on probiotics should be conducted in order to further understanding of the way in which the strains effect health benefits. [This paper was presented at the Ninth European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB9), held on 11-15 July, 1999, in Brussels, Belgium.]
Patents:
Composition containing rutin and quercetin for preventing or treating elevated blood lipid level-related diseases. [Patent]
Song Hae Bok; Tae Sook Jeong; Ki Hwan Bae; Yong Bok Park; Myung Sook Choi; Surk Sik Moon; Yong Kook Kwon; Eun Sook Lee; Byung Hwa Hyun; Yang Kyu Choi; Chul Ho Lee; Sae Bom Lee; Young Bae Park; Hyo Soo Kim (Korea, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology)
PCT International Patent Application WO 00/15237 A1 (2000) [KR 98-37959 (19980915) [Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-333, Korea] En]
Diseases related to high blood lipid levels (e.g. hyperlipidaemia, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris, stroke and hepatic diseases) can be treated or prevented by means of a pharmaceutical composition, or a functional food or beverage containing rutin, quercetin or a mixture thereof.
Health-improving food composition comprising ginseng and citrus peel derivative. [Patent]
Song Hae Bok (Korea, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology)
PCT International Patent Application WO 99/62358 A1 (1999) [KR 9820560 (19980603) [Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-333, Korea] En]
A novel food composition with health-improving properties is described. The composition contains ginseng and a citrus peel derivative, chosen from a flavonoid found in citrus peel, a citrus peel extract, or a mixture of both. The wt. ratio of ginseng and citrus peel derivative ranges from 1:1-1000:1.
Process for the manufacture of probiotic cheese. [Patent]
Ross, R. P.; Fitzgerald, G. F.; Collins, J. K.; O’Sullivan, G. C.; Stanton, C. G. (Enterprise Ireland; Irish Republic, Teagasc Agricultural & Food Development Authority)
PCT International Patent Application WO 99/62348 A1 (1999) [IE 98-0408 (19980529) [Enterprise Ireland, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland] En]
A process for the manufacture of probiotic cheese (e.g. Cheddar cheese) is described. A 0.05-0.5% inoculum of a non-pathogenic, bile tolerant strain of Lactobacillus paracasei, which adheres to human epithelial cells and is capable of growing during maturation to a level of ³107 cfu/g, is added to the cheese milk. L. paracasei grows and proliferates (>108 cfu/g) in the cheese during ageing (8 months), even at low inoculation levels. L. paracasei has a negligible effect on cheese composition, flavour and aroma.
