Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods

Attempt the following questions to check your understanding of the subject:

PART 1
  1. Describe the conditions that any substance must fulfil for it to be branded as either a functional food (6 Marks)
  2. Briefly explain the following terminologies with reference to specific bioactive substances                                                                                           (6 Marks)
    1. Bio-availability
    2. Bio-accessibility
    3. Bio-activity
  3. Describe prebiotics and their role in the manufacture of functional foods in the food industry                                                                               (6 Marks)
PART 2
  1. Briefly discuss the factors that affect the bioavailability of bioactive substances present in any food that is consumed (6 Marks)
  2. Giving examples, briefly describe three ways of categorizing bioactive substances                                                                                                       (6 Marks)
  1. Most foods are processed in a number of ways so as to enhance their quality and safety. Discuss the effect of some specific processing techniques on bioactive compounds and their functional properties                                                                               (10 Marks)
  2. As the head of the product development team in your company, discuss the process of making a functional food with at least two bioactive substances of which one is a phytochemical, clearly showing their role in your new product (10 Marks)
  3. Discuss the methods employed in the food industry for encapsulating functional ingredients in the manufacture of functional foods (10 Marks)
  4. Discuss the mechanisms of action of phenolic and polyphenolic compounds as potential nutraceuticals (10 Marks)
  5. Discuss the application of nutrigenomics in the context of non-transmissible chronic diseases (NTCDs) (10 Marks)
  6. You are heading the product development team in a dairy processing factory and are required to develop a new symbiotic functional food product. Give a brief overview of your product and discuss the specific substances you would suggest for inclusion into the product outlining their composition as well as their functional role in the new product (10 Marks)