Trending in the food industry: Functional Food

This blog introduces another food trend in the industry: functional food (FF) and examines its current industrial issues. Indeed, the primary role of diet is to provide sufficient nutrients to prevent dietary deficiency. Evidently, nutrients provision is described in literature as the original meaning of diet (Joyce, 2015), in which modern purpose has gone beyond it. This means the modern diet involves an element of customisation that matches with the increasing changes in healthy lifestyle (Mintel, 2022). Particularly, this healthy lifestyle involves having established standards of nutrients in daily diet, in which Saarela (2011) found to be the use of promoting a state of well-being, health and reduced diseases risk. This leads to a trend in FF consumption (Tadesse and Emire, 2020; Betoret et al., 2011). 

Extensive research has been developed in understanding FF and its definition (see Figure 1.). Despite multiple approaches to define FF, it is common that FF is considered as health-promoting food offering more benefits than simple nutrient values, in which most of them either play a role in preventing or reducing health-related risks. For example, Ryan (2012) (see Video 1.) investigated plant compounds in green tea and beetroot, in which they found different benefits ranging from reduced fat absorption, blunt blood glucose levels to enhanced sport performance, specifically in rugby and football players.  

Although positive impacts of green tea were found in Ryan (2012), it should be noted that the effect of green tea on another field such as reducing cancer risks has been inconsistent (Yang and Wang, 1993; Hasler, 2002). This means, on one hand, polyphenols such as catechins is a major component of green tea, in which research has shown relevant cancer-preventive effects such as delay in tumour growth (Siddiqui et al., 2005) and tumour-free survival (Gupta et al., 2001). This leads to the promotion of green tea due to its potential benefits in cancer prevention (Cancer Research UK, 2022). On the other hand, it is worth noticing that prior research into green tea polyphenols were limited and mostly completed in early 2000s, which does not have the holistic approach to the topic and might not be updated. Indeed, research in relevant benefits of green tea in cancer has been argued to be “scarce and limited in scope” (Lambert, 2013:1673). Further research also found no correlation between tea consumption and the risk of gastric cancer (Sheerah et al., 2020), which demonstrates how the benefits of green tea as FF has not been researched with a holistic approach, but rather in specific types of cancer.  

 

Figure 1.: Definitions of FF (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2013; cited in Joyce (2015): 3) 

Brookes Research - Dr Lisa Ryan, Functional Food Centre: Health benefits of plant compounds 

Video 1.: Health benefits of plant compounds (Ryan, 2012)