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ABSTRACT

The term “functional foods” comprises safely bacterial strains and some products of plant and animal origin which physiologically containing active compounds beneficial for human health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Functional foods represent one of the most intensively investigated and widely promoted areas in the food and nutrition sciences today. Among the best known functional compounds, probiotics, prebiotics, and natural antioxidants are good examples. Functional foods can considered to be those whole, fortified, enriched or enhanced foods that provide health benefits beyond the provision of essential nutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals). Scientific progress in understanding the relationship of diet to disease, along with increasing health-care costs and consumers’ desires to make healthy lifestyle improvements, provides a significant impetus for the development of novel foods with health benefits (functional foods). These functional food products result from: technological innovation at the processing level, such as cholesterol lowering spreads, xylitol-sweetened chewing gum, and dairy products fermented with specific lactic acid bacteria and technological innovation.