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Transcript

Welcome to all of you. This is the 1st lecture of the 1st week. And in this week we will go through the definitions of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals; their origin, various sources of functional foods. What is the significance of the functional foods, their regulatory aspects and many more things. First we discuss the definitions of the functional foods. There are many definitions provided by different peoples to define functional foods. But here we mention the very reliable definition that is given by Institute of Food Technologists. They define food and food components that provide health benefit beyond the basic nutrition. Means, they are playing the basic role; as well as beyond that basic role also including the conventional foods, fortified, enriched or enhanced food and dietary supplements. They provide essential nutrients often beyond the quantities that are required for the normal maintenance, growth and development of other biological active components; that impart health benefits or desirable physiological
benefits.

Another definition given by Institute of Food and Information Council states that functional foods provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. American Institute of Dietetics; they define functional foods are those foods that have health benefits beyond the nutrients they contain. We can see that in all the three definitions; one thing is common, that they are providing the basic as well as the advanced nutrition also. From where these concept of functional foods originates. The concept of functional foods originates from the ancient China and then shifted to Japan, long ago. Arai in 2005 gave the concept of medicines and foods are isogonics. Similarly the father of medicine, Hippocrates; he defines, he gives the statement that, “Let food be the medicine and medicine be the food”. Hassler in 2001 renew the same term of functional foods. Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare initiated the world’s first policy of legally permitted, the commercialization of selected functional foods named ‘Food for specified Health Use’, that is FOSHU.

Now here we can see that; we know that food provides or consists of carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamin, mineral, water and roughage. And these all components, they are very important for the normal body function; like for the growth of the human beings, for the repairing of the tissues, for the energy production as well as the protection. Then what happened if we are adding some bioactive compounds in this food, then it becomes functional. Similarly we can add also and here if we remove some particular harmful ingredients or deleterious compound that is present in food, then also it is called functional foods. And the these functional they foods provide the basic nutrition with the physiological health benefits, and also reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

A natural food product to make it functional, there are so many ways. We can add something to it that is beneficial to us. We can remove something that is harmful. Even we can enhance something from the outer sources to make it functional. And that will provide health benefits to the human beings. Now come to the nutraceuticals. What are the nutraceuticals? Because the functional foods and nutraceuticals, they are correlated; there is need to understand the mechanism or the definition of the functional foods as well as the nutraceuticals. A nutraceutical can be defined as a diet supplement. It’s not a food, it’s a diet supplement that provides a concentrated form of bio-active compounds in a non-food matrix, to enhance health and prevent disease. There is one common example, that is carotenoids, which is found in carrot, corn and it is very essential for the maintenance of the body.

Now here we can see that the term nutraceuticals is derived from nutrition and pharmaceuticals both. But from nutrition we have taken ‘nutri’ part, and pharmaceutical we have taken ‘ceutical’ part. So by both these terms it makes nutraceutical. Now we come to the prerequisites of the function foods.

Means what properties should be there in a food to make it functional. And the very first one and the important one is that it should be a food; not a capsule, not a tablet or not in a concentrated form. And functional foods we can have; they can be part of our daily diet. And there is no need of any recommendation of the physician or a doctor to take the function foods. And another important prerequisite of this function food is that, they should contain the functional ingredients in sufficient quantities to cure the disease. Another prerequisite is that they are able to perform a particular function of prevention or curing the disease when they are taken.

Now we have discussed the function foods, we have discussed the nutraceuticals. But here it’s very important to know the basic differences in function foods and nutraceuticals. If we talk about function foods they can be part of our daily diet. But nutraceuticals, they can’t be part of our daily diet. They are available in the form of capsules or tablets. And we need the recommendation or we should consult a physician to take them in our daily life. We can’t use them in our daily routine. For example we can say if we want to use the probiotic curd, there is no need to consult a doctor. But if we are taken any kind of nutraceuticals then we should consult and the recommended doses are also fixed about it. Secondly the basic differences are also that they are necessarily a part of our daily need as a basic foodstuff as compared to nutraceuticals. Functional foods contain nutraceuticals as one of the constituents. And these nutraceuticals when they are incorporated into basic foods, foodstuffs; they make it functional.

So this is all about the definition, their origin and what is the basic concept behind their origin and what is the basic differences in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Thank you very much.