Functional Food Components: A Role for Mineral Nutrients?

Better Crops/Vol. 84 (2000, No. 2) Functional foods are defined as foods that contain bio-active ingredients thought to enhance health and fitness. The active ingredients are phytochemicals, such as lycopene in tomatoes, allicin in garlic, or isoflavones in soybeans (Table 1). These phytochemicals, also called “nutraceuticals”, may be extracted and consumed as supplements, or may have therapeutic value when consumed in whole food. Functional food ingredients are associated with the prevention and treatment of several leading causes of death: cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. In addition, some help with other medical ailments including neural tube defects, osteoporosis, abnormal bowel function, and arthritis. Their modes of action are diverse. The functional food industry is considered to have tremendous potential for market growth. In the U.S. alone, sales of dietary supplements, herbs and botanicals, natural foods, and personal care products amounted to $25.8 billion in 1998. The components of this industry are shown in Figure 1. In Japan, functional foods are regulated as “Foods for Specified Health Use” (FOSHU). Over 154 products are already registered as FOSHU, and their sales in Japan amount to $1.5 billion annually. The fastest growing category of dietary supplements in 1998 was herbs and botanicals, with sales increasing 18 percent over 1997 levels. Their prospects for future growth are even higher. Why? When science can determine the phytochemicals that truly promote health, their use can be justified on a measurable basis. However, future medical and nutritional research will need to sort out many claims for potential functional food ingredients. Food and feed crops that are enhanced in nutritional or nutraceutical content offer opportunity to almost every crop producer. While most of the attention is paid to food crops, the benefits to animal feeds may be equally valid. One study at Iowa State University indicated that isoflavones may enhance swine carcass muscle percentage. Thus, the discoveries in this new area of science have potential to impact the definitions Functional Food Components: A Role for Mineral Nutrients?