1. Types and main materials of functional food
1.1 food materials for enhancing immune function
There are mainly Chlorella, spirulina and other algae; lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria and other bacteria; mushroom polysaccharides, basidiomycetes and other edible fungi; yellow green vegetables and fruits, soybean peptide, aloe and other plant ingredients; chitin, royal jelly, beeswax, oyster meat and other animal ingredients; ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, acanthopanax senticosus, Cordyceps and other traditional Chinese herbal medicines; melatonin, nucleic acid and other synthetic substances wait. These ingredients can be classified into two main categories according to their mechanism. The first group is represented by P mushroom polysaccharide, which stimulates leukocyte surface membrane, enhances cell viability, and the other is sulfur compounds in vegetables, which play a regulatory role in the metabolism of leukocytes. For a long time, immune enhancing food has been popular with consumers, and its sales in foreign countries have been showing a steady growth momentum. Take Japan as an example, the sales volume of 2000 degree Chlorella vulgaris and royal jelly is 50 billion yen, beeswax is 35 billion yen, chitin is 30 billion yen, Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng are 20 billion yen.
1.2 antioxidant herbs and plant ingredients
Oxidative stress is the main cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease and aging. In recent years, the United States, Japan and Europe have taken these substances as the research focus of functional food materials. In recent years, the sales of plant-based antioxidant foods in the United States have increased year by year. One of the most representative is a substance extracted from pine bark in coastal areas of France. Its proanthocyanidins content is very high and has strong antioxidant effect. In recent years, Japan has set up a Research Association on oxidative stress, which focuses on the activities of antioxidant enzymes and detoxification enzymes induced by antioxidant components, and carries out research on various antioxidant food materials. Plant polyphenols are the most studied natural antioxidant food materials abroad in recent years. In September 2000, an International Conference on plant polyphenols was held in Germany with the support of several major European food companies. There are many kinds of plant polyphenols, such as phenolic acid, proanthocyanidins, tannins, flavonoids and so on. Polyphenols have antioxidant, anticancer, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, inhibiting arteriosclerosis, anti-aging and other effects. At present, polyphenols are mainly extracted from the following plant components abroad: tea, perilla seed and leaf, sesame, grape seed and leaf, immature apple, grass seed bark, blueberry peel, soybean, eucalyptus leaf, ginger, mulberry leaf, etc. The antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins in polyphenols is the strongest. Studies have shown that proanthocyanidins have preventive effect on colorectal cancer caused by APC gene mutation, so it is called "nutrition of gene age". Grape seed polyphenol proanthocyanidins content as high as 90%, known as "polyphenol king". In Europe, grape seed polyphenol was used as a drug more than 30 years ago. It has the functions of reducing blood lipid and antioxidation. It can prevent atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and its complications, muscle fatigue and lipid peroxidation caused by exercise stress. It can also improve the intestinal environment and reduce the odor of intestinal excreta.
1.3 diet and beauty food materials
At present, foreign diet food materials mainly include: Gymnema sylvestris, chitosan, carnitine, capsaicin, gamboge, mulberry leaf extract, conjugated linoleic acid, etc. Some years ago, carnitine was popular in the European weight-loss food market, and its products were mostly synthetic products; in Japan, carnitine was mostly extracted from beef and mutton. In recent years, gamboge, mulberry leaf extract and forest Gymnema sylvestris are more concerned about weight loss food materials abroad. Recently, some people abroad have explored the use of β - adrenoceptor agonists and esterase inhibitors to lose weight. Many people in China are also trying to lose weight by Codonopsis pilosula, Alisma orientalis, lotus leaf, woodlouse worm, Atractylodes rhizome and cassia seed. Beauty food materials mainly include chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, collagen, acylsphine, etc. Acylssphingosine accounts for about 40% - 50% of the intercellular lipids in human skin. It can protect skin moisture, enhance skin elasticity and promote skin regeneration. The germ oil containing acylsphinine was extracted from wheat germ by Japanese flour company, which was used as cosmetic food material. Chondroitin sulfate is mainly extracted from shark and bovine cartilage. After enzyme treatment, chondroitin sulfate can be made into particles with molecular weight of about 10000. It is easy to dissolve in water and has no peculiar smell. It is said that chondroitin sulfate has anti-aging effect and is welcomed by young female consumers.
1.4 anti allergy functional food materials
Due to the increasing number of allergens in the environment, allergic diseases have increased rapidly in recent years. It is reported that one in three infants and young children suffer from allergies, and allergic diseases in adults are also increasing. Allergic diseases have become a modern representative disease. In order to prevent allergies and alleviate their symptoms, the research and development of anti allergy functional foods in foreign countries are attached great importance. Anti allergic food materials mainly include polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols and so on. Perilla leaf extract is a kind of anti allergic food material in recent years. It not only contains polyphenols, but also contains triterpenoids, which has a significant effect on allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and pollinosis. In Japan, France, Italy and other countries, perilla leaf extract has been made into candy, beverage and other functional food and topical agent to prevent and control allergy.
1.5 climacteric functional food materials
Soybean isoflavone is the most representative of this kind of material. Studies have shown that it has good prevention and treatment effect on menopausal syndrome, osteoporosis, breast cancer and other diseases of middle-aged and elderly women, as well as antioxidant, lowering blood cholesterol and other physiological activities and cosmetic effects. Japan has developed high purity soybean isoflavone and beverage containing soybean isoflavone, and has applied for patent.
1.6 anti stress functional food materials
Some people in Japan suggested that reducing the effect of stress with functional food is the first choice of anti stress measures. Anti stress functional food materials mainly include Hypericum perforatum, valerian, Ginkgo biloba, anesthetic pepper, phosphatidylserine and so on. In recent years, the sales of anti stress herbs abroad are increasing. For example, the sales volume of Hypericum perforatum in the U.S. market increased year by year due to its obvious anti stress effect. Its market size ranked 17th among various herbal medicines in 1997, rose to the second place in 1998 (9.10% of the market share), and still ranked the third (5.46% of the market share) in 1999.
1.7 materials of brain strengthening functional food
With the advent of an aging society, the number of elderly patients with neurological disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease, is increasing. Therefore, in recent years, domestic and foreign countries have paid great attention to the research and development of food materials with brain function. There are mainly ginkgo leaves, DHA, lecithin, Catharanthus roseus and so on. In recent years, Europe and the United States have paid much attention to the effect of Catharanthus roseus on improving brain function. Vinorelbine, the active component of Catharanthus roseus, has been approved for sale as a functional food in the United States and Japan. It can increase the consumption of oxygen and sugar in the brain, increase the transmission between brain cells, and increase the memory, concentration, direction and thinking ability by 65%. It has been proposed in Europe that vinorelbine is better than Ginkgo biloba extract in improving memory and learning ability.
