Therapeutic, Probiotic, and Unconventional Foods

Book excerpt: Therapeutic, Probiotic and Unconventional Foods compiles the most recent, interesting and innovative research on unconventional and therapeutic foods, highlighting their role in improving health and life quality, their implications on safety, and their industrial and economic impact. The book focuses on probiotic foods, addressing the benefits and challenges associated with probiotic and prebiotic use. It then explores the most recently investigated and well-recognized nutraceutical and medicinal foods and the food products and ingredients that have both an impact on human health and a potential therapeutic effect. The third and final section explores unconventional foods and discusses intriguing and debated foods and food sources. While research has been conducted on the beneficial biological effects of probiotics and therapeutic food, the use of these foods remains controversial. To overcome the suspicion of the use of alternative, homeopathic and traditional products as therapy, this book reveals and discusses the most recent and scientifically sound and confirmed aspects of the research. - Compiles the most recent, interesting and innovative research on unconventional and therapeutic foods - Highlights the role of unconventional and therapeutic foods in improving health and life quality - Discusses the implications of unconventional and therapeutic foods on safety - Presents the industrial and economic impact of unconventional and therapeutic foods