Bioactive Ingredients in Processed Foods

Abstract

India produces some food items like fruits and vegetables on a massive scale. It ranks second in the world. Basic needs of the body like carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins are supplied by horticultural crops and legumes. Fruits and vegetables have some extra benefits of providing the source of some compound which are biologically active and promote the metabolism in the humans. The by-products of the fruits and vegetables are important in providing safety to human health and also giving additional antioxidants to the body. In many aspects of human life, plenty of fruits and vegetables are consumed and hence they evolve a lot of solid waste on Earth’s surface. There is requirement of managing the waste evolved from fruit and vegetable products and provides solution to the environmental problem arising from the waste. It will be wise enough to recover these bioactive ingredients like phenolic compounds and antioxidants and their utilization in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and other products. Bioactive compounds formed from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) provide tremendous health benefits to humans like controlling diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Toxins are bound by some bioactive compounds to avoid carcinogenesis. The quality awareness of foods and nutritional value is increasing worldwide among the consumers. These consumers are looking for new, energetic, and healthy foods for weight control, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammation, type-2 diabetes, digestive health, immune system and antiaging, and other chronic degenerative diseases. This chapter aims to discuss the need for bioactive food ingredients to be delivered and released at their target site for its optimal health benefits.