ABSTRACT
Nutraceuticals, as the name suggests, are ingested substances which combine the benefit of food nutritional requirements while offering some aspect of therapeutic protection to the human body. Such foods and natural substances are called functional foods, designer foods, pharma foods, as well as many less elegant descriptors. Functional foods are similar in appearance to conventional foods, are consumed as part of a normal diet regime, and have demonstrated physiological benefit (i.e., reducing the risk of a disease state). Naturally derived products are purchased to enhance stamina and energy, for weight control, to avoid illness, and to compensate for the lack of exercise. Depending on the definition of a nutraceutical, the market ranges of such products is conservatively estimated to be US$3.15-4.6 billion in the United States and range from US$1.05-1.6 billion in Europe. A broader definition of “functional” food pegs their U.S. market value between US$14.2 and 17.6 billion, and if one assumes that 50% of the food selected for consumption is based on health or medical considerations, then the estimated value of the nutraceutical market expands to US$250 billion (1).
