Biologically active compounds in the production of functional foods

Abstract

In last 15 years concepts in nutrition have been moved from survival, and satisfaction of essential caloric and nutritive needs to the use of foods in order to improve the state of well-being and to reduce the risk of certain diseases, even to nutritional therapy of some diseases. Functional foods because of their specific and changed nutritional composition in comparison to the similar classic food items, have beneficial effects on health status and are most often targeted in improving the gastrointestinal functions and activity of antioxidant systems, as well as in decreasing risk factors involved in ethiology of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Such effects of functional foods are often due to the presence of bioactive compounds. Rigorous scientific investigation has to confirm the positive physiologic effects of such compounds on human health. This new area of food science presents challenge to the scientists, food legislation, pharmaceutical and food industry, and consumers.

U poslednjih petnaest godina koncept ishrane je usmeren na korišćenje hrane u funkciji poboljšanja opšteg zdravstvenog stanja, kao i smanjenje rizika od razvoja pojedinih bolesti, pa i tečenje tih bolesti. Funkcionalne namirnice usled svog specifičnog i izmenjenog sastava u odnosu na klasične namirnice iste vrste, pozitivno utiču na zdravlje ljudi i najčešće se koriste u očuvanju optimalnih gastrointestinalnih funkcija, podizanju nivoa aktivnosti antioksidativne odbrane organizma, smanjenju faktora rizika uključenih u etiologiju kardiovaskularnih oboljenja i kancera. Navedene efekte funkcionalne namirnice često pokazuju usled prisustva jedne ili više bioaktivnih komponenata u svom sastavu, za koje je naučnim istraživanjima utvrđeno da, u količinama u kojima su prisutne u namirnici, povoljno utiču na pojedine fiziološke ili biohemijske procese u organizmu. Ova nova oblast u nauci o hrani i ishrani predstavlja izazov za naučnu javnost, zakonodavnu praksu, prehrambenu i farmaceutsku industriju.