Bioavailability of Functional Food Constituents: A Controversial Research Field

Recently consumer demands in the field of food has significantly changed. Consumers, in fact, are aware of that food is related to their health [1]. Even the concept of food has undergone in recent years a profound transformation since it is not only to provide necessary nutrients for humans but also to prevent diseases and improve physical and mental consumer health [2]. In this regard, functional foods play an outstanding role. There is no official definition of Functional Foods common to all States since in several Countries there is no legislation. Actually “functional foods” can be definite as “foods that may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition” or “food similar in appearance to conventional food that is intended to be consumed as part of a normal diet, but has been modified to sub serve physiological roles beyond the provision of simple nutrient requirements” [3]. In the past decades, the functional foods market growing rapidly and dynamically. Data from Euromonitor 2010 revealed that the value of their global market is 168 billion in US$ with worldwide annual growth rate of 7.2% in the 10 years to 2017 [4]. The first Functional Foods to be developed were fortified food, in which food are enriched in vitamins such as C and E, folic acid, calcium, iron, and zinc. Afterward, omega-3 fatty acid, phytosterol, soluble fiber and micronutrients such as polyphenols, carotenoids etc. were added [5].