ABSTRACT
Functional foods are a new concept in the United States. They are a rapidly emerging concept in the area of nutrition. They have become one of the most interesting areas of study capturing the interest of not only the consumers but also of scientists (Clydesdale, 1997; Milner, 1999). The reason for this emerging interest is the widespread belief that certain foods and selected food components are associated with enhanced physical and mental performance along with reduced risk of disease (Craig, 1997; Messina and Messina, 1996). In this regard, the importance of functional foods can be attributed to Hippocrates and his now famous tenet, ‘‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’’ a concept that goes back to ca. 400 BC (Hasler, 1996; Milner and Craig, 2000). Now almost 2500 years later as we mark the beginning of a new millennium, the concept of food as medicine has taken on philosophical importance evolving into the concept of nutritional essentialitycertain foods and specific food components are essential for the health and survival of higher animal-thus forming the basis of functional foods. More recently, the relationships between diet and disease have become major areas of investigation in nutrition especially involving these functional foods (Harper, 1999).
