Fruits and Beverages as Functional Foods: Comparison
Please note this is a comparison between Version 2 by Peter Tang and Version 1 by Luís R. Silva.

It is largely accepted that the daily intake of fruits, vegetables, herbal products and derivatives is an added value in promoting human health, given their capacity to counteract oxidative stress markers and suppress uncontrolled pro-inflammatory responses. Given that, natural-based products seem to be a promising strategy to attenuate, or even mitigate, the development of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and to boost the immune system.

 

  • functional foods
  • functional beverages
  • cherry
  • blueberry
  • health properties

1. Introduction

Food is any substance consumed capable of providing nutrients required for several functions, such as producing energy, supporting various metabolic activities, growing processes, and promoting wellness and a healthy status [1,2][1][2]. In recent decades, the demand for healthy foods and beverages has increased worldwide, mainly due to their nutritional values and health-promoting properties, demonstrating their ability to reduce the risk of oxidative stress-related disorders and others [3,4,5][3][4][5]. Given that, it is not surprising that the knowledge about the influence of nutrition on health and well-being has greatly increased, leading to the development of new and healthier foods, which are called functional foods [6].
The concept of functional foods was firstly described in ancient Vedic texts from India and was also an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine since early times [7]. In the 1980s, it was introduced in Japan, in the face of escalating processed foods that, in addition to their nutritional function, contained ingredients with specific bodily functions and beneficial physiological effects [7]. In 1984, after the increase in healthcare costs, an ad hoc group of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture in Japan launched a national project to explore the link between medical sciences and foods, and to legislate these products into Foods Of Specified Health Use (FOSHU) (Table 1) [8] given their biological potential [9]. To receive a FOSHU designation, manufacturers must complete an application that includes scientific evidence of the proposed medical or nutritional relationship, the proposed dose of the functional food, the safety of the food, and a description of the physical/chemical properties, experimental methods, and composition of the food [10].
Table 1.
The Japanese FOSHU criteria for functional food.
  • They are food (not capsules, pills, or powder) based on naturally occurring food components
  • They can and should be consumed as part of the normal daily diet
  • They have a defined function on the human organism:
    • To improve immune function
    • To prevent specific diseases
    • To support recovery from specific diseases
    • To control physical and physic complaints
    • To slow down the ageing process
Table 2.
The FUFOSE definition of functional food in Europe [13].

 

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