Functional Food and Human Health

The pine (Pinus L.) is the largest and most heteromorphic plant genus of the pine family (Pinaceae Lindl.), which grows almost exclusively in the northern hemisphere. The demand for plant-based remedies, supplements and functional food is growing worldwide. Although pine-based products are widely available in many parts of the world, they are almost absent as food ingredients. The literature shows the beneficial effects of pine preparations on human health. Despite the wide geographical distribution of pine trees in the natural environment, there are very few data in the literature on the widespread use of pine in food technology. This study aims to present, characterise and evaluate the content of phytochemicals in pine trees, including shoots, bark and conifer needles, as well as to summarise the available data on their health-promoting and functional properties, and the potential of their use in food and the pharmaceutical industry to support health. Various species of pine tree contain different compositions of bioactive compounds. Regardless of the solvent, method, pine species and plant part used, all pine extracts contain a high number of polyphenols. Pine tree extracts exhibit several described biological activities that may be beneficial to human health. The available examples of the application of pine elements in food are promising. The reuse of residual pine elements is still limited compared to its potential. In this case, it is necessary to conduct more research to find and develop new products and applications of pine residues and by-products.

Download Full-text

Honey sugars profile of stingless bee Tetragonula laeviceps (Hymenoptera: Meliponinae)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d221159 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Ali Agus ◽

Agussalim Agussalim ◽

Muhamad Sahlan ◽

Ardo Sabir

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Functional Food ◽

Reducing Sugar ◽

Stingless Bee ◽

Moisture Ratio ◽

Sucrose Content ◽

Three Samples ◽

Glucose Ratio

Abstract. Agus A, Agussalim, Sahlan M, Sabir A. 2021. Honey sugars profile of stingless bee Tetragonula laeviceps (Hymenoptera: Meliponinae). Biodiversitas 22: 5205-5210. Honey was a functional food to improve human health, but irresponsible people used this circumstance to make fake honey. This study aimed to evaluate the profile of the sugar of stingless bee honey [Tetragonula laeviceps (Smith, 1857)] from different geographical origins in Indonesia. Honey, three samples were directly collected from three other sources for meliponiculture of T. laeviceps in Indonesia: Sleman, Klaten, and Gunungkidul. The honey sugars profile was analyzed: glucose, fructose, sucrose, reducing sugar, the sum of fructose and glucose, glucose to moisture ratio, fructose to glucose ratio, and honey pH. Glucose and fructose were analyzed by HPLC, sucrose by Luff Schoorl, reducing the sugar by Layne-Enyon, and pH by a pH meter. The current findings revealed that the geographical origins had a highly significant effect on glucose, fructose, the sum of fructose and glucose, glucose to moisture ratio, fructose to glucose ratio, and honey pH (P<0.01) and significant effect on reducing sugar (P<0.05), but not on sucrose content. Thus, it can be concluded that the origins were affecting the honey sugars profile and honey from Sleman has the highest sugars content, followed by honey from Klaten and the lower was honey from Gunungkidul.

Download Full-text

Pinto Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as a Functional Food: Implications on Human Health

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture3010090 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 90-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Cristiane Câmara ◽

Carlos Urrea ◽

Vicki Schlegel

Keyword(s):

Phaseolus Vulgaris ◽

Human Health ◽

Functional Food ◽

Phaseolus Vulgaris L ◽

Pinto Beans

Download Full-text

Tinjauan manfaat bunga telang (clitoria ternatea l.) bagi kesehatan manusia

Journal of Functional Food and Nutraceutical ◽

10.33555/jffn.v1i2.30 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 63-85

Author(s):

Abdullah Muzi Marpaung

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Fatty Acids ◽

Human Health ◽

Functional Activity ◽

Functional Food ◽

Clitoria Ternatea ◽

Flower Extract ◽

Wide Range ◽

Butterfly Pea ◽

Positive Effect

All part of the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) plant reported having a various positive effect on human health. The blue petal, in particular, shows a wide range of functional activity including as an antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic. The hydrophilic phase of butterfly pea flower extract contains flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins, flavones, flavonols, phenolic acids, and cyclotides. Meanwhile, the terpenoids, alkaloids, and fatty acids were found in the lipophilic phase of butterfly pea flower extract. The proven health benefits and the wide range of the type of bioactive compounds promote butterfly pea flower as the source of functional food and nutraceuticals. However, a series of intensive research, including the clinical trial, is still needed.

Download Full-text

Functional Food Center’s vision on functional food definition and science in comparison to FDA’s health claim authorization and Japan’s Foods for Specified Health Uses

Functional Foods in Health and Disease ◽

10.31989/ffhd.v10i11.753 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 465

Author(s):

Rie Sadohara ◽

Danik Martirosyan

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Functional Food ◽

Functional Foods ◽

Well Being ◽

Vital Role ◽

Food Science ◽

Health Claim ◽

Food Category ◽

Definition Of

The aging population and skyrocketing medical costs are an urgent problem in some countries, which necessitates the prevention of diseases and postponement of disease progression with non-medical means. Functional foods are those that exhibit beneficial effects on human health and play a vital role in supporting part of normal diets. In order to produce functional foods with safe and effective active compounds, it is necessary to define functional foods and to identify the bioactive compounds, the mode(s) of action, and the proper daily dosage. Furthermore, functional foods should undergo a neutral evaluation by an independent organization to ensure only safe and effective products will be released to the market. Japan’s Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) approval system will be described in this review as an example in which individual functional foods are evaluated with numerous criteria by a governmental agency. Whilst the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates and authorizes health claim petitions, a definition of functional foods and a distinct functional food category are lacking in the U.S.. The Functional Food Center (FFC) has been supporting functional food scientists worldwide through research and the publishing of numerous educational materials on functional foods. Thus, the FFC and the Academic Society for Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds (ASFFBC) can and are willing to help the FDA and other governmental agencies establish the category of functional foods and the field of functional food science, which needs to be highly collaborative and multidisciplinary. This review will also describe the current health claim authorization by the FDA and the FFC’s vision on the definition of functional foods, bioactive compounds, and the establishment of functional food science that will eventually contribute to human health and well-being in the US and across the globe.Keywords: functional food definition, functional foods, FOSHU, bioactive compounds, functional food science, health claim, foods for specified health uses

Download Full-text

Characterization of insoluble dietary fiber from three food sources and their potential hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects

Food & Function ◽

10.1039/d1fo00521a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiao Yang ◽

Juan Dai ◽

Yan Zhong ◽

Xuelin Wei ◽

Yuexin Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Dietary Fiber ◽

Functional Food ◽

Food Sources ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Insoluble Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is considered an important functional food for improving human health and controlling calorie intake. In this study, insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) from three sources (enoki mushrooms, carrots, and...

Download Full-text

Cocoa Polyphenols: Can We Consider Cocoa and Chocolate as Potential Functional Food?

Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1155/2013/289392 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Djurdjica Ackar ◽

Kristina Valek Lendić ◽

Marina Valek ◽

Drago Šubarić ◽

Borislav Miličević ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Functional Food ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Folk Medicine ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Dark Chocolate ◽

Potential Health ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Short Overview ◽

Anti Inflammatory

Chocolate has been consumed as confection, aphrodisiac, and folk medicine for many years before science proved its potential health benefiting effects. Main compounds of cocoa and chocolate which contribute to human health are polyphenols that act as antioxidants and have potential anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, antiviral, antiallergenic, and anticarcinogenic properties. This paper gives a short overview of scientific literature regarding cocoa polyphenols and influence of cocoa and chocolate on human health. Although research on health benefits of dark chocolate and cocoa is quite extensive nowadays and shows potentially beneficial effects of dark chocolate and cocoa, there are still lots of unknowns and some controversies. This is obviously an area that needs more research in order to determine factual influence of chocolate on health.

Download Full-text

The significance and possibility of functional food production

Hemijska industrija ◽

10.2298/hemind0203113d ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 113-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Suzana Dimitrijevic-Brankovic ◽

Josip Baras ◽

Jaroslav Bojovic

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

New Product Development ◽

Functional Food ◽

Food Production ◽

Religious Affiliation ◽

Developed Countries ◽

New Production ◽

Minimal Processing ◽

Hidden Hunger ◽

Influence Of Food

Abundant knowledge of the significance of food quality for all human living functions as well as growing human population and the occurrence of world "hidden hunger", directed food producers toward new production processes of and new product development that must satisfy the specific needs of different categories of consumers. The differences are reflected in sex age, religious affiliation, activity, health, social status etc. "Organic", "natural, minimal processing, functional (and often called "therapeutical") food nowadays represents the key interest of nutritionists, physicians and food producers. Such food should have a beneficial influence on human health, besides satisfying the nutritive and energetic necessities, by protective, prophylactic and healing performance. This paper discusses facts about the influence of food on human health, problems of malnutrition in developing and developed countries, presents states of food production in the world and in Yugoslavia, legislation and regulations on nourishment and food production, the disadvantages of former concepts of development of this production and possible directions of future trends with a particular review on functional food production.

Download Full-text

Seaweeds as source of the essential elements

Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences ◽

10.15392/bjrs.v7i2a.687 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (2A) ◽

Author(s):

Caroline Rodrigues Albuquerque ◽

Vera Akiko Maihara ◽

Cassio Bessa De Lima ◽

Paulo Sergio Cardoso Silva

Keyword(s):

Neutron Activation Analysis ◽

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis ◽

Activation Analysis ◽

Neutron Activation ◽

Human Health ◽

Functional Food ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Undaria Pinnatifida ◽

Essential Elements ◽

Edible Seaweed

Overtime seaweeds have been used as a food mainly due to their high nutritional value. This type of food is considered as functional food and contributes to the nutritional human requirements, being beneficial to human health. In this study 13 edible seaweed samples acquired in the marked of São Paulo city were analyzed and the concentrations of elements Cl, K, Mg, Mn and Na were determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The following edible seaweeds were analyzed: Nori (Porphyra umbilicates); Hijiki (Hijikia fusiforme); Kombu (Laminaria sp.) and Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) species from China, USA, Japan and South Korea. The Undaria pinnatifida species presented the highest Na concentration and the lowest K level. The highest variation was obtained for Mn in the Porphyra umbilicates species.

Download Full-text