Functional Food

Functional Food defines as “natural or processed foods that contain known or unknown biologically-active compounds; these foods, in defined, effective, and non-toxic amounts, provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit for the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease”.

1. Some Examples of Commonly Consumed Functional Foods:

• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Tomato
• Turmeric

1.1 Cinnamon:

    Cinnamon, a colloquially used term for the inner bark of trees Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cinnamon cassia, is a spice used world over. Scientific evidence suggests that cinnamon is useful in control of glycaemia and hypertension. In addition cinnamon is reported to exert antioxidant, anti-microbial,  antiinflammatory, neuroprotective and hepato protective effects. Cinnamtannin B1 is believed to be a major molecule responsible for anti-diabetic effect of cinnamon.

1.2 Garlic:

    Garlic is a common food with many functional attributes. Garlic is used as spice, herb and a vegetable whose biological properties are attributable to low molecular weight sulphur- compounds. Active principles of garlic are demonstrated to confer a wide array of therapeutic effects including anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities as well as ability to improve cardiovascular health.

1.3 Ginger:

    The root of Zingiber officinale is used as a spice in large variety of vegetable and meat preparations. Ginger may exert beneficial effects against nauseating discomforts, platelet aggregation & cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, inflammation, oxidative stress and hypertension

1.4 Tomato:

    Tomato, although termed as a fruit, is considered and used as a vegetable. It is a principle ingredient in a wide variety of products. The importance of the tomato as a vegetable is exemplified by the fact that it is fourth most heavily consumed vegetable in the world. It delivers a healthy dose of carotenoids such as lycopene and pro-vitamin A (b carotene) and vitamins C and Most of the functional effects of tomatoes are attributable to its carotenoids content. consumption of omato products and other lycopene containing foods might reduce the occurrence or progression of prostate cancer. High levels of lycopene has also been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases

1.5 Turmeric:

    Turmeric has been effectively used as a general tonic or stimulant, food preservative, cosmetic  agent, carminative, diuretic, blood purifier, anti-phlegm, and as well as remedy for cough, cold, sinusitis, pain, and intestinal and liver disorders The active ingredient (nurtraceutical) in turmeric is curcumin.

2. Major Food categories and their functional components:

• Cereals: Minerals, vitamin E and g-oryzanol (rice bran), insoluble fibre (wheat bran), beta-glucan (oats).

• Dairy Products: Probiotics.

• Fishes: Omega-3 fatty acids (Tuna, salmon, mackerel).

• Fruits & Vegetables:  Dietary fibre, carotenoids (carrot), dithiolthiones (cruciferous vegetables), beta-carotene and lutein (green leafy vegetables), lycopene (tomato), resveratrol (grapes), sulphur compounds (alliums), wide range of polyphenols.

• Legumes and pulses: Isoflavones and dietary fibre.

• Oil: Omega-3 fatty acids (flax seed oil), g-oryzanol (rice bran oil), oleuropein (olive oil).

• Spices and herbs: Curcuminoids (turmeric), piperine (pepper), Eugenol (clove, bail and cinnamon), gingerol and shogol (ginger), flavonoids and diallyl sulphate, alliin, ajoene, and allicin (garlic), cinnamtanninB1 (cinnamon).