Winter 2000 Issue — Foreword

by H. Steinhart, G. Biernorth Institute for Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Hamburg < Back

1. Introduction

In the very past, foods were used to satisfy people's hunger. It took some time that people were educated to nourish themselves according to their nutrient requirements. This happened in connection with progress in food science which revealed the importance of compounds like vitamins, trace elements and essential fatty and amino acids for a sound development of the human body and a healthy life.

Also people leaned to avoid intake of foodstuffs which cause poisoning or development of allergies or to avoid contaminated food. As a result of this it can be concluded that, although not all people, but many people nourish themselves in a proper way. National and international authorities take care by legislation that food producers and suppliers provide the consumers with sound and unadulterated foods.

Unfortunately, problems may occur and occurred with food, so that the supply of the consumers with healthy food is to be seen as a permanent task of all people involved in food producing, distributing and controlling. But in general, consumers are provided with safe and sound foodstuffs now produced technologically for a large part. In the industrial countries consumers are recommended to avoid intake of too much fat, to eat more fruits and vegetables and fish ad to consume a variety of food, that means to nourish according to their requirements thereby preventing still widespread illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and overweight.

2. Nutraceutical

Because health can be influenced positively by proper food and because consumers are interested in active and positive effects of nutrition on health, new foodstuffs come now under development which apart from nutrition and taste are intended to contribute to health aspects. For these new foodstuffs the term nutraceuticals is introduced.

Nutraceuticals are not pharmaceuticals. They are foodstuffs that means they are essentially consumed for nutrition. Yet, in addition to their nutritional effect they are intended to influence special health aspects positively. In this respect they are tailor-made foodstuffs which act preventively on health for instance by compensating nutrient deficiency in food.

Nutraceuticals are manufactured by adding functional components which give as a result the wanted health effect. This is not absolutely new. Foodstuffs enriched with bloactive components are already in the market. Vitamin enriched products and cooking salt enriched with iodide are examples. Now a new family of food will be offered to the consumers, the so-called nutraceuticals. On top of there nutritive and life important components they shall contain substances with preventive effects on health.

There are several reasons for this new development on the food market. Consumers are familiar with the idea of the new products because preventive aspects in nutrition are known already. Furthermore, new knowledge and understanding in food research have supported and accelerated this development and have created new possibilities. Within nutrition information, consumers are more motivated now with positive arguments in place of prohibitions. Then, medicine appeared to be more open for health prevention by nutrition.

Finally, food industry noticed it as a good chance to broaden their product palette by new valuable products which are accepted by the consumers. This altogether supported the realisation of the idea of nutraceuticals for which most of the nutritionists use the term "functional foods". So, nutraceuticals can be seen as foodstuffs which on medium or long term support health preventively, often in a special direction. There are special health aspects on which nutraceuticals concentrate, for instance digestion (obstiputation), heart and blood circulation (hypertension, arteriosclerosis), metabolism (diabetes), physical development and growth (overweight, osteoporosis), food­gen-regulation (hypercholesterolaemia), preventing of cancer.

So, nutraceuticals can be very important for well-being and good health. They exhibit one approach to prevent a range of severe illnesses. Therefore they will become of considerable interest for a large part of the consumers.

3. Nutraceutical components

A compound can only be seen as a substance suitable as active component of nutraceuticals in cases a scientifically verified positive effect in human beings is proven. Without this proof or only with effects in animal trials these components should not be used for manufacture of nutraceuticals. Substances which are assumed to have an effect which however so far is not clear scientifically have to be further investigated before application. This assumption, however, is in some cases, much difficult to be confirmed.

In some cases indeed it has been found that these active compounds have an effect on health only when incorporated into a foodstuff. They are not any less effective when taken as a pill or tablet. This has been realised in studies where active compounds like the hydrocolloid psyllium or special phytosterols or vitamin E were tested either pure or incorporated into foodstuffs. Active components for nutraceuticals have been found in many classes of natural products. Special proteins, peptides and amino acids act reducing blood pressure, stimulating the immunosystem and as antibiotic. Some poly- and oligosaccharides work as dietary fibres which reduce cholesterol in serum or improve digestion. Some lipid compounds like special fatty acids, sterols and antioxidants effect positively the heart-blood circulation system. Minerals, trace elements and vitamins support metabolism via sufficient formation of enzymes. Phenols like flavonoids act as active antioxidants and protect oxygen sensitive compounds like unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C.

There are further active compounds like special terpenes, sulphur-containing compounds and saponines which belong to the now strongly investigated group of so-called secondary plant components.

4. Effects of nutraceuticals

In the meantime we know several bioactive components which are ingredients of nutraceuticals already in the market or components of nutraceuticals just before introduction into the market.

A known compound with cholesterol reducing effect for persons with hypercholestolaemia is psyllium an hydrocolloid of a plantago species grown in India. It is also used, for many years, as an effective substance in laxative medicines. Further polysaccharides like glucans, pectins, modified starches and cyclodextrins are under investigation or are already in use. Another group of effective substances are the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3-type like the eicosapentaene acid and the docosahexaene acid. Their special effect aims on hearth blood circulation diseases, because they reduced plasma triglycerides and blood pressure and widen blood vessels. They act anti-inflammatorily at arthritis and have a positive effect on the development of children's brain.

In food they occur in fatty sea fishes like mackerels, herring and salmon. Unfortunately the amount which are consumed with fish is insufficient. Therefore the production of these types of fatty acids via plants or micro­organisms like sea-weeds is a challenge for food scientists in the next time. Within the group of vitamins, folic acid and vitamin E are those with deficiency in nutrition. Foodstuffs with these vitamins enriched are under development. Another nutraceutical which is introduced recently is margarine containing phytosterols.

Such components like sitosterol and camposterol, when taken in daily amounts of two grams, reduce blood cholesterol at about 10%. One can anticipate that further foodstuffs containing phytosterols will be development. Pre- and probiotic dairy products are since years on the market. They contain special bacteria or substances supporting their development which shall improve digestion in the large intestine. Many yoghurt types are offered as pre- or probiotics. Yet, the effects in humans are still under controversial discussion. Other substances with expected health effects are especially compounds like phytoestrogens and conjugated linolic acids which are under discussion as cancer preventing substances.

It is expected that in time to come nutraceuticals will contribute to act preventively in avoiding a series of diseases when consumed together with a sound diet. So far open questions like the right doses, possible side effects, even toxic effects and suitable incorporation into foodstuffs have to be answered.

Many of the nutraceuticals are novel food. As such they have to be admitted. These procedures are still time consuming because the European authorities so far have little experience in this field.

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