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2.3.3.3 Functional Foods

The importance of a well-balanced diet is well-known.  Much effort has gone into persuading consumers in developed countries of the need to eat at least five portions from a variety of fruit and vegetables each day.  The trouble is that fresh produce is not available to everyone, everywhere, all the time.  Processing is the solution and has been used for millennia to preserve foods by for example, freezing, salting, drying, smoking, pickling, and more recently vacuum packing.  However, nowadays, in the developed world at least, food processing equates with convenience.  Consumption of processed foods is becoming more prominent, even where the tradition diet until recently had largely consisted of fresh produce, such as Mediterranean countries.  Processed food, however, is often limited in its nutritional value and can contain high levels of fat, salt, sugar and artificial chemicals (such as preservatives and flavour enhancers). 

While there is constant demand to be innovative in food products, there is also the need to be aware of changes in public attitude.  It is estimated that in Europe 50% of all new products are withdrawn from the market within two years of launch[i].  According to the consultancy firm XTC, current trends are towards natural ingredients that promote health and well-being, while at the same time providing more sensory stimulation.  In developed countries such considerations appear to be more important than convenience to consumers. 

The situation differs in developing countries, where the problem is access to food that provides a balanced nutritional diet.  Large numbers of the world’s population survive on just a few staples, maize being the most prominent, and as a result individuals can be both mal- and under-nourished.  The use of processed food, with added nutritional value in such circumstances would be a great benefit.  While many processed foods are supplemented (or fortified) with vitamins and minerals, there is much scope to enlarge this portfolio.

The agrifood industry then has the opportunity to produce more nutritional food that can also have a longer shelf-life and not require refrigeration, thus meeting demands from both developed and developing countries.

Although many nutrients can simply be added to processed food, via salts, or extracts of plant or animal origin; in some cases the nutrient is not so easily incorporated, as it can be poorly soluble in aqueous solution; sensitive to oxygen, light, temperature; or adversely affect the colour, smell or taste of the processed food.  In other cases the nutrient binds so tightly to the food matrix that it is not readily available to be taken up by the digestive system during the limited period it is within the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). 

In such cases new approaches to packaging and delivering nutrients is required.

Table 1 provides an overview of several types of nutrients which would be useful to include in foodstuffs but are poorly suited for reasons of stability or sensory perception.

Table 1. Some important nutrients for which improved delivery systems would improve their utility.