Nutraceutical Foods

Nutraceutical is a portmanteau of "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical" and refers to foods claimed to have a medicinal effect on human health. Such foods are also called functional foods. It can also refer to individual chemicals present in common foods. Many such nutraceuticals are phytonutrients.

Examples of claims made for nutraceuticals are red wine (resveratrol) as an antioxidant and an anticholesteremic, broccoli (sulforaphane) as a cancer preventative, and soy and clover (isoflavonoids) to improve arterial health in women.

Several nutraceuticals are known. Some examples are Flavanoids, Anti Oxidants such as gamma linolenic acid, beta carateins, anthocyanins, etc. With the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), USA, several other compounds were added to the list of supplements originally mentioned in FDA notification. Thus many botanical and herbal extracts such as Ginseng, garlic oil,etc found place as nutraceuticals.

Nutraceuticals are often used in nutrient premixes or nutrient systems in the food and pharmaceutical industries.