Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods

Beginning with fortification of salt with iodine to prevent goitre in USA in early 1900’s, the “Nutraceutical” or “Functional Food” segment, is now one of the fastest growing product categories within the global food industry. Manufacturers have been cashing on by developing and integrating functionality into their products and marketing many as panacea for expanding Consumer Health & Wellness concerns.

Nutraceuticals are natural, bioactive chemical entities with health promoting, disease preventing or with general medicinal properties. Functional Foods, a sub-segment within Nutraceuticals are those that claim specific health benefits from specific ingredients. Nutraceuticals are generally
grouped into three Food Categories:

• Fortified with specific nutrients to prevent deficiency-based diseases
• Containing microorganisms or substances for promoting intestinal microorganisms
• Containing bioactive components or enzymes including those enhanced by Special Feeding or Genetic Engineering