ABSTRACT
Functional food is described as the food that provides additional nutrients for health-promoting functions and reduces the risk of development of several chronic disorders like hypertension, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Three major classes of functional food include conventional, modified and synthetic foods. Different species of microalgae and macroalgae from marine sources, dairy and non-dairy products and botanicals are pinnacle sources of essential nutrients supplied in functional foods. In this chapter, the potential application of each source of functional food including microalgae, seaweeds, probiotics, prebiotics, non-dairy products and different phyto-bioactives like phenolics, carotenoids, omega fatty acids and sterols is discussed with respective nutrient values. Several innovative nano-based approaches reported to deliver functional foods, and their ingredients are also discussed. Metallic nanoparticles using silver, copper and gold, polymeric nanoparticles with biodegradable polymers like chitosan, cyclodextrin, PLGA, and lipidic carrier-based delivery with solid and liquid lipids are common approaches used for improved delivery of functional food ingredients. Nanocarriers or nanoencapsulated products like micelles, liposomes, solid and lipid nanoparticles, starch-based nanoparticles and gum-based nanocarriers are developed to overcome the solubility and stability issues of the functional foods. The global functional food market is rapidly expanding and expected to grow up to 276.68 billion dollars at the end of 2024 with 9% CAGR. The overview of the regulatory framework of functional foods in different countries like the United States of America, Japan, Europe and Canada is also deliberated in this chapter.
