ABSTRACT
Interest in nutraceuticals and functional foods continues to grow, powered by progressive research efforts to identify properties and potential applications of nutraceutical substances, and coupled with public interest and consumer demand. Nonfood sources of nutraceutical factors have been sourced by the development of modern fermentation methods. The number of purported nutraceutical substances is in the hundreds, and some of the more recognizable substances include isoflavones, tocotrienols, allyl sulfur compounds, fiber, and carotenoids. Depending upon one's interest and/or background, the appropriate organizational scheme for nutraceuticals can vary. One of the broader models of organization for nutraceuticals is based upon their potential as a food source to humans. Because of conserved biochemical aspects across species, many nutraceutical substances are found in both plants and animals, and sometimes in microbes. Meanwhile, in the shikimic pathway, simple carbohydrate intermediates of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway are used to form the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.
