Nutraceutical and Functional Food Processing Technology

Book excerpt: For several years, the food industry has been interested in identifying components in foods which have health benefits to be used in the development of functional food and nutraceutical products. Examples of these ingredients include fibre, phytosterols, peptides, proteins, isoflavones, saponins, phytic acid, probiotics, prebiotics and functional enzymes. Although much progress has been made in the identification, extraction and characterisation of these ingredients, there remains a need for ready and near-market platform technologies for processing these ingredients into marketable value-added functional food and nutraceutical products. This book looks at how these ingredients can be effectively incorporated into food systems for market, and provides practical guidelines on how challenges in specific food sectors (such as health claims and marketing) can be addressed during processing. Nutraceutical and Functional Food Processing Technology is a comprehensive overview of current and emerging trends in the formulation and manufacture of nutraceutical and functional food products. It highlights the distinctions between foods falling into the nutraceutical and functional food categories. Topics include sustainable and environmentally–friendly approaches to the production of health foods, guidelines and regulations, and methods for assessing safety and quality of nutraceutical and functional food products. Specific applications of nutraceuticals in emulsion and salad dressing food products, beverages and soft drinks, baked goods, cereals and extruded products, fermented food products are covered, as are novel food proteins and peptides, and methods for encapsulated nutraceutical ingredients and packaging. The impact of processing on the bioactivity of nutraceutical ingredients, allergen management and the processing of allergen-free foods, health claims and nutraceutical food product commercialization are also discussed. Nutraceutical and Functional Food Processing Technology is a comprehensive source of practical approaches that can be used to innovate in the nutraceutical and health food sectors. Fully up-to-date and relevant across various food sectors, the book will benefit both academia and industry personnel working in the health food and food processing sectors.