FUNCTIONAL FOOD SCIENCE AND BENEFITS ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Question 1

WHAT ARE FUNCTIONAL FOODS?

Answer 1

FOODS THAT CONTAIN BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE COMPONENTS WHICH OFFER THE POTENTIAL OF ENHANCED HEALTH OR REDUCED RISK OF DISEASE !BEYOND BASIC NUTRITION!

• resemble conventional food in appearance
• are a part of normal diet

Question 2

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL FOOD AND SUPPLEMENTS?

Answer 2

Supplements do not look and are not presented for use as conventional food. They are also more treatment focused while functional food is more prevention focused. They also have a legal definition (ff doesn’t).

Question 3

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONAL FOOD?

Answer 3

SALMON, NUTS, OATS, BARLEY, QUINOA, GARLIC, YOGHURT, WHOLEGRAIN PASTA/BREAD, KIMCHI, BERRIES…

Question 4

DOES EU HAVE LAWS AROUND FUNCTIONAL FOODS?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

WHAT REVENUE IS THE FUNCTIONAL FOOD MARKET PREDICTED TO GENERATE IN 2025?

Answer 5

300 bn dollars

Question 6

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BROAD CATEGORIES OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS?

Answer 6

PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS, PLANT STEROLS, OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

Question 7

WHAT IS A NUTRITION CLAIM?

Answer 7

A claim that says something about the level of a nutrient in a food in a way that implies it is beneficial (e.g. fat free, high fibre…)

Question 8

WHAT IS A HEALTH CLAIM?

Answer 8

A claim that explains the link a food or one of its constituents has to health. It must be properly substantiated to protect the customer, to provide fair trade, encourage academic research and innovation in the food industry.

Question 9

WHICH PRODUCTS CAN CLAIM THAT THEY ARE ‘LOW FAT’?

Answer 9

solids: if they have no more than 3g of fat per 100g
liquids: if they have no more than 1.5g per 100ml

Question 10

FUNCTIONAL FOODS SHOULD HAVE ONE OF WHICH TWO HEALTH CLAIMS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE DIET?

Answer 10

ENHANCED FUNCTION or REDUCED DISEASE RISK

Question 11

WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS?

Answer 11

Foods with beneficial live cultures which improve intestinal microbial balance. They are able to colonize the intestine and perform functions like pathogen exclusion, intestinal barrier function improvement (by increasing tight junction expression), immune system regulation etc.

Question 12

EXAMPLES OF PROBIOTICS:

Answer 12

SOUR CREAM, MISO SOUP, PICKLES, YOGHURT, KEFIR, AGED CHEESE, BITTER CHOCOLATE..

Question 13

WHAT ARE PREBIOTICS?

Answer 13

Non digestive (or low digestibility; complex carbohydrates) components that feed, enrich and stimulate the healthy bacterial gut flora.

Question 14

3 CRITERIA FOR CLASSIFICATION OF SOMETHING AS PREBIOTIC:

Answer 14

• resistant to stomach’s pH, cannot be hydrolysed by mammalian enzymes, not absorbed in the GI tract
• can be fermented by intestinal microbiota
• positively stimulates the intestinal bacteria

Question 15

PREBIOTICS EXAMPLES:

Answer 15

ONION, SOY BEAN, ASPARAGUS, BANANAS, LEEK, BREAD, GARLIC, ARTICHOKE

Question 16

WHAT ARE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF PREBIOTICS?

Answer 16

They improve general cognition, calcium absorption, mood, learning, antibody response..

Question 17

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF PLANT STEROLS?

Answer 17

VEGETABLE OILS, WHOLEGRAINS, LEGUMES..

Question 18

WHAT ARE PLANT STEROLS?

Answer 18

Plant substances that resemble cholesterol. They compete with cholesterol for inclusion in lipid micelles and inhibit enzymes that esterify cholesterol, so that less enters the circulation.

Question 19

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS?

Answer 19

OILY FISH (SARDINES, SALMON), FLAX SEEDS, CHIA SEEDS, WALNUTS, SOY FOODS, CANOLA OIL…

Question 20

WHAT IS THE MAIN BENEFIT OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS?

Answer 20

they prevent hypertriglyceridemia

possible that they also help fight hypertension and CHD

Question 21

WHAT ARE CAROTENOIDS?

Answer 21

Pigments in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria which have anti-oxidant properties and some are converted into Vit A.

Question 22

WHAT ARE THE 5 ESSENTIAL CAROTENOIDS?

Answer 22

Beta-carotene, Lutein, Alpha-carotene, Lycopene, Zeaxanthin

Question 23

WHAT CAN SOY-BASED PHYTO-ESTROGENS BE USED FOR AND WHY?

Answer 23

To improve menopausal symptoms and protect from heart disease (because their chemical structure resembles estrogen so they can bind to its receptors, but not as firmly)

Question 24

WHICH COUNTRY IS THE ONLY ONE TO RECOGNIZE FUNCTIONAL FOODS AS DISTINCT CATEGORY?

Answer 24

Japan