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Book Review |
Dean, College of Agriculture,
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
New Technologies for Healthy Foods & Nutraceuticals, by Manssur Yalpani (ed). ATL Press, Inc., Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, 344 pages, 1997, cloth, $225, paper, $125.
This text provides an interesting summary of a developing new area of interest of functional foods and nutraceuticals. The only caution provided by the reviewer is that biologically active ingredients should not be called nutrients at this point, since they may enhance health but not be essential to growth, development, reproduction and life. Importantly, this new paradigm may restimulate interest in nutrition or at least in food and its role in health. Consumers are receptive to the concept of "natural, medically active products" to replace their OTC and prescribed medications. They have lost sight of the fact that medications have resulted from plant components in the past, which were modified to eliminate unwanted side effects while enhancing efficacy of the pharmacologically active components. Scientists then assessed the site of action and medicinals were designed to affect physiological response to disease—most do not cure disease but control undesirable side effects. This interpretation was not clearly stated by the editor, Dr. Yalpani.
Nutraceuticals are natural ingredients that exist in foods and are considered the source of health benefits beyond their nutritional contribution. Identification of these foods will allow their incorporation into a more healthful diet and may enhance development of new food products.
Eighteen chapters are presented which for the most part provide challenging insight into functional ingredients and identify potential applications to enhance health. In the first chapter, Yalpani identifies many of the compounds that appear to have biological activity. Additional insight into their physiological action may provide a means to prevent disease. Although there are a few firm correlations, the specific activity of most of these agents remain to be established. The chapter includes a discussion of current global trends and uses. Natural products and medicinal herbs have been used actively in Germany, Europe, Asia, and Latin America accounting for a $14 billion industry. In the US the potential market is about 10% of the total. The only ingredients successfully incorporated into products has been dietary fiber and the carotenoids.
Rychklik and Greenwald extend the discussion on market opportunities for ingredient use for healthy foods and nutraceuticals. They discuss the NLEA, which was created to help consumers choose a healthier diet and provide incentive to food companies to improve the nutritional profiles of their products. The DSHEA was enacted to provide labeling for dietary supplements. It can be used to identify healthy ingredients for dietary supplements in the future. The nutraceutical category is inclusive of "phytochemicals and zoochemicals derived from edible plant and animal products"—the health benefit exceeds basic nutritional requirements and may include management, treatment and prevention of disease. The authors discussed the scope of healthy food ingredients, such as traditional ingredients—fat replacers, high intensity sweetners, bulking agents, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and non-traditional ingredients such as botanicals, antioxidants, fish oils, amino acids and live cultures. Examples are provided of ingredients approved for use as functional foods in Japan and some of the current nutraceutical food products being commercially produced worldwide. Critically, the authors note that commercialization is hampered by the inability to patent natural ingredients, thereby decreasing interest in critical experimentation to develop new products and establish their efficacy.
In Chapter 3, Finley describes "hypernutritious foods." (Reviewer’s comment: until these new food ingredients are defined as essential or health giving, they should not be referred to as hypernutritious.) Interestingly, even though the author listed physiologic activities for certain classes of food ingredients, he concluded with emphasis on a better diet rather than on food fortification. The following chapter by Yalpani provided a material based perspective on functional ingredients. Lipophilic materials included fish oils, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids and other polyphenolics, which were correlated to reduction of serum cholesterol, stimulation of the immune system, inhibition of cancer and diminish fungal, viral and bacterial infections. Antioxidants block free radical oxygen reactions decreasing cardiovascular disease. Oligosacharides were shown to enhance intestinal flora resulting in anti-metastatic, anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activities.
An important chapter provided characterization of the details required for development of sitosterol ester margarine as a functional food. The chapter reviews key points of cholesterol regulation. Sitosterol reduces serum cholesterol by decreasing cholesterol absorption. The product provides a population based strategy to lower serum cholesterol, including hypercholesterolemic patients taking hypocholesterolemic drugs.
Nicolosi and colleagues provided an excellent chapter on the health benefits of unsaponifiable constituents of fats and oils, which primarily includes fatty acids and glycerol. Non-glyceride components, such as plant sterols are not absorbed and increase excretion of cholesterol while others act as antioxidants, decreasing cardiovascular disease. Tocotrienols, gamma-oryzanol (ferulic acid esters of triterpene alcohols and plant sterols) are found in rice bran oil. Antioxidants and antiatherosclerotic properties are provided by ferulic acid, tocopherols, carotenoids, and lesser known unsaponifiable lipids.
In a detailed review of antioxidant based nutraceuticals, Nice describes the need to design future antioxidants by characterizing their solubility, synergism, mechanism of action, and absorption characteristics. These properties affect the choice of the delivery vehicle.
An important discussion about development of a functional food ingredient was presented by Mazur and Mohlenkamp. They described small non-nutritive carbohydrates as sucrose substitutes, using 5-C-hydroxymethyl hexoses as the novel ingredient. The authors identified the need to assess the physiochemical determinants of functionality and establish the fact that the compound is non-metabolizable. Descriptions are provided of functional applications in cakes brownies, cookies and candies. The authors note that the greatest concern for commercialization remains with the uncertainty of securing regulatory approval.
Another chapter describes different galact-oligosaccharides, their properties and their physiological features, supporting bifidobacteria growth promotion, and their food applications. The next chapter discussed resistant starch, non-gelatinized and retrograde starch., as it contributes to dietary fiber function. These carbohydrates enhance fermentation, increase intestinal microbiota and their products, and lowers intestinal pH. All of these physiologic effects are beneficial to intestinal function. Other chapters include topics on guar-galactomannan and on oatmeal and oatbran.
The closing chapter on evaluation of functional food benefits was well-written and thoughtful. The authors argue that double blind studies have proven valuable when assessing one agent for one condition. Yet, for multiple variables the patient centered approach (self control) is best used to evaluate functional changes. Importantly, the need is to identify specific biomarkers that are precise and sensitive and have specific relationships to health and vitality.
The final chapter by Childs describes potential consumer interest, but does not add much new information over other articles already published by the author.
Overall the book is very good and met the expectations of the reviewer. There were several typos, e.g., mis-spelled flavenoids (flavonoids) consistently in chapter 4, malitus (Mellitus) chapter 11. The cost for the book seems excessive, but there are few reference books in this area. Everyone working in this area should read the book. The strength of the contents is enhanced by the specific examples of functional food products.
Received January 1, 1998.
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