Foods and Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals have received considerable interest because of safety and substantial nutritional and therapeutic effects. Nutraceuticals used in the treatment and prevention of different diseases. Nutrients, herbals and dietary supplements are major components of nutraceuticals for maintaining of health, act against various disease conditions and thus promote the quality of life.

Nutraceutical Categories

Nutraceutical is a broad term. There are many types of products that fall under the category of nutraceuticals [15]:

Dietary Supplement Including

1. Nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids and antioxidants.
2. Herbals: Herbs or botanical products as concentrates and extracts.
3. Phytochemicals are polyphenols, isoflavonoids, anthocyanidins, phytoestrogens, terpenoids, carotenoids, limonoids, phytosterols, glucosinolates, and polysaccharides.
4. Probiotics are live microbial feed supplement for improving its intestinal microbial balance. Lactobacillus bacteria and bifidobacteria are most important and probiotics.
5. Prebiotics: A fermented dietary ingredient that allows specific changes both in the composition and/or the activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota that exchange benefits upon the host wellbeing and health.
6. Nutraceutical Enzymes.
7. Dietary Fibers includes non-starchy polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, gum and pectin, lignin and resistant dextrins.

Functional Food/ Fortified Nutraceutical

It constitutes fortified food from added nutrients or ingredients. For examples- Milk enriched with Vit. D, Orange juice fortified with calcium, Cereals flour added with fiber and folic acid.

Farmaceuticals/ Recombinant Nutraceuticals

Farmaceuticals is made of two words Farm and Pharmaceuticals. Medically valuable compounds from modified agricultural crops. Uses biotechnological methods usually.

Medicinal Food

The medicinal foods are formulated to be consumed under the supervision of a physician, and which are designed for the specific dietary management of a specific disease or conditions for distinctive nutritional requirements, and are established by the medical evaluation.

Conclusion

Nutraceuticals has shown their health benefits and disease prevention capability, which should be taken according to their acceptable recommended intake. Nutraceuticals can provide substantial health benefits especially in the prevention and/or treatment of acute and chronic human diseases, thereby promoting optimal health, longevity and quality of life. But its development depends on its quality, safety, long-term adverse effects, and toxicity as well as supplementation studies and clinical trials in humans. Development of better characterized and research proven products will help enhance consumer confidence in nutraceutical products in the world.