Ensuring the future of functional foods

TLDR

Functional‑food research has surged in the past decade, yet studies rarely address the bioavailability of active ingredients, and the microbiome’s influence suggests efficacy may vary across populations, especially in widely consumed baked goods such as bread, biscuits, and cake. The study proposes that blending bioactive ingredients can improve bioavailability and that further market growth will depend on stronger evidence of bioavailability, clinical effects, and regulatory support, particularly in the EU. Consumption of functional foods appears to reduce chronic disease incidence, a message that has resonated with consumers and spurred market growth, although new developments often alter organoleptic properties and affect consumer acceptance.

Abstract

Summary Consumption of functional foods suggests a strategy to reduce the incidence of chronic health disorders. This message has resonated with consumers and driven market growth. Functional food research has significantly increased over the last decade but few studies have addressed the bioavailability of active ingredients for clinical efficacy. Baked goods such as bread, biscuits and cake are popular categories for innovation due to their widespread consumption. These new developments have often impacted on organoleptic properties of the finished products and thus consumer acceptance. Blending of bioactive ingredients may overcome this deficit. However, an understanding of the role of the microbiome in health has indicated that the efficacy of functional foods is unlikely to be uniform within the population. Further growth in the functional foods market, is likely to require greater evidence of the bioavailability of active ingredients, clinical effect and support for health claims by regulators especially in the EU .