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Functional foods and phytochemicals

Berries and fruits

Some new berries like Lonicera caerulea var.kamshatica †("BlÂtry") deserve special attention Their harvest and upgrading does not compete with other berries (ripen in the middle of june), and they contain high levels of vitamin C and PP (biologically active polyfenols). With the addition of a liquid fiber (see later) it is easy to visualize† new "health drinks".

Another berry which needs to be considered as an anti-oxidant juice source is Crataegus spp ("Havtorn")† At BalsgÂrd recipes for including this source in ice creams and sorbets have been prepared and new products in the form of "havtorn honey",jams, marmelades, alcoholic liquors and aperitifs have been suggested. The technical development problems will be adressed in cooperation with Kiviks Musteri AB. The plant is a nitrogen fixer which makes it attractive for ecological operations which can also be fairly easy due to the possibility to use the same mechanical harvesting equipment that is used for black current and rose tips - additional candidates for "health drinks".††††††††††††††††††

Other berries which might be considered, for instance in the manufacturing of swedish "isotonic sport drinks" is Sambucus† spp† ("Fl‰der"), Chaenomeles spp. ("Rosenkvitten") and Prunus† spinosa† ("SlÂn"). In the US the market for sport drinks is very large (800 mill.US$) and that for enriched "health drinks" is even larger (1 bill $US). The term "isotonic sport drink" actually refers to three types of drinks: isotonics, carbohydrate drinks and protein-and aminoacid rich beverages. The word isotonic reflects the content of sodium and chloride, potassium, calcium and phosphates plus fructose and glucose as energy sources.

Food additives

The european market for food additives from natural sources is estimated to be around 6 bill.Sw.Cr., and the americans spend more than 6 bill. dollars annually on food supplements. They include aroma and taste substances, taste amplifiers, as well as compounds which control the texture and viscosity in foods. Natural preser-vatives, vitamins†and minerals, anti-oxidants and color compounds like flavenoides and anthocyans belong to the same category. Some authors also add herbs, seeds, pollens, oils and digestion aids such as enzymes.

Antitoxicological legislation,accelerates the replacement for instance of synthetic red and yellow color additives with naturally occuring plant pigments.Those are of three main types: chlorophyll and carotenoids, which are fatsoluble, and flavonoids which are water soluble. A big group in the water-soluble category are red, violet and blue antocyanines which are glucosides which protect the plant from UV-irradiation. From a swedish point of view Sorbus spp† ("rˆnn") is a good source.

Pharmaceutical preparations

As indicated by the fact that 80 % of the world's popula-tion still depends on traditional medicines for primary health care, the plant kingdom still has much to offer. However, In the industrialized world the focus is on isolated active components like �-carotene which earlier attracted attention for anti-cancer effects just like vitamins C and E. Now.the anti-cancer effect of the �-carotene rich plants, like carrots, are thought to reside in some other constituent, and there is a large number to choose from, since there are actually 600 carotenes known.

Carotenes† play a crucial role for plant photosynthesis, since they act as antennas which pick up light of different wavelengths and then transmit the solar energy to the chloro-phylls. At the same time they neutralize the toxic oxygen radicals which are formed in this process, particularly when the light is intense. The carotenes† have the same anti-oxidant effect in man, but since he cannot produce them, they have to come the food he eats† And he certainly needs them, not only for their provitamion A-effect, but also as anti-oxidants because they influence ageing, cancer, fertilitry, heartdisease, eye duseases and the immune system. Even if no health claims for foods are still permitted in Sweden a case can certainly be made, for carrot juice, instance enriched with fibers (see the following section on inulin) supple- with a powerful antioxidant astaxanthine which might expand the shelflife at the same time as it would add a proven biological effects to the product (see section on algae). Comparing the antioxidant effect of astaxanthine with �-carotene, japanese workers have found that the former provided an 80 % phospholipid protection wheras the effect of the latter was just under 20 %.

The complexity in the evaluation of anticancer effects is illustrated by claims for Garlic, Green Tea, Soybeans, Cereal grains, Cruciferae, Umbelliferae, Citrus, Solanacae, Cucurbitacae, Licorice root and Flax seed.† Many classes of active compounds† in those plants have also been considered (sulphides, phytates, flavenoids, glucarates, carotenoids, coumarins, monoterpenes, lignans, phenolic acids, indoles, isothiocyanates, phthallides and polyacetylenes) often acting together.

Spices and herbal remedies

Many pharmacologically active compounds play a role in the protection of plants from various forms of attack. Even if this tends to make those compounds specific they can sometimes also be toxic to higher animals (incl.man). Obviously this needs to be considered by the authorities like the FDA in the USA and Livs-medelsverket and Socialstyrelsen in Sweden.

Functional foods

The concept

The "functional food"-concept, reflects the saying that "you are what you eat" as well as Hippocrates' advice to "let uour medicine be your food and your food your medicine".The term has its roots in Japan, and it is used for foods which make us healthy and prevent diseases by influencing the body in a predictable and positive way.

Those foods are sometimes also called nutraceuticals to underline that they contain one or more substances that are associated with our health, and that this gives them a position between nutrients and pharmaceuticals .A subcategory is "Medi-cinal Foods" which refers to foods that are specially designed for patients who are under medical supervision since they cannot consume ordinary foods

When functional foods are metabolized in our bodies they are expected to:

• strengthen our defence mechanisms,
• prevent specific diseases,
• accelerate recovery after illnesses,
• positively influence our physical and mental state,
• decellerate ageing.

The market and legal status

The market for functional foods in the US is very big (just under 250 bill.Sw.Cr.with potential to become seven times bigger) and grows with 17-20 % per year. Considering the fact that the 70ies were dominated by a drive to reduce food additives, the 80ies by low-calorie products and the 90ies by a reduction in fat and colesterol, a bright future can now be predicted for the nutritional approach to reduced costs for medical care. The combination of food technology, biotechnology and pharmacology is actually a formidable power source, and the recommendation by the US National Cancer Institute to eat at least 5-9 fruits and vegetables per day adds pressure on our normal eating habits.

Functional foods were earlier subject to controls aimed at protecting the customers. However, as a consequence of the 1994 DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act) the legal situation for US business (food and dairy, pharmaceutical and supplement manufacturers as well as packaging producers) has become easier. With few exceptions, such as the relation between calcium and osteoporosis) health claims on the package are however restricted. Neither words related to pharmaceuticals nor words like "prevents" are permitted, but statements like "may or might prevent" can be used. A special division for labelling of dietary supplements was established by NIH in November 1995. In Sweden the attitude tro health claims is still quite strict.

Fermented foods

Milk

As mentioned above the microbial metabolism in the colon is of obvious health relevance, and inulin and FOS, which stimulate the indigenous intestinal flora, are often referred to as prebiotics. They are thus different from probiotics† which is a term used for living exogenous bacteria which are consumed in the form of buttermilk, youghurt, creme fraiche, frozen deserts or capsules. When prebiotics as supplied at the same time as† beneficial lactic acid bacteria one talks about synbiotics. which is now an active research field. The cholesterol reduction seen† after consumption of watersoluble fibers (besides inulin also guar, psyllium, pectin and oat) - and not after eating unsoluble fibers - attracts special attention. The immuno-stimulating effect of the peptides that are derived from enzymatic brekdown of milk casein, and the formation of soluble complexes of caseinophosphopeptides supporting calcium absorption, are also a "hot" subject.

The number of fermented milks which are now sold as functional foods is very impressive, but there are indications that casein as a protein source might accelerate atherosclerosis and ought to be balanced with vegetable protein like soy, which tends to reduce blood cholesterol..The consumption of 25 g of soy protein per day significantly reduces the risk for coronaries.

Some fermented milk varieties have also found their way into the veterinary field. From this point of view there is one product which needs to be mentioned in this report, because it contains† Lactobacillus reuteri† (included in ICA:s "BRA filmjˆlk" .together with Bifidus† and Acidophilus -bacteria). This produces a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, reuterin, which has a remarcable capacity to keep chicken-infections at bey in large production units.

Fermented Milk foods have a very long tradition ax a conse-quence of the many advantages ascribed to those lactic acid bacteria which survive the travel to the lower reaches of the intestinal tract :

Lactic and acetic acids are formed and the low pH counter-active bacteria which cause spoiling and enteric diseases. Hydrogen peroxide often helps to limit the formation of histamin, tyramin, cadaverin, and agmatine as well as the enzymatic conversion of primary bile acids to their secondary cytotoxic products.

Reduction of the lactose content of milk, so that individuals who suffer from lactose intolerance do not have to forego important nutrients.

Reduced activity of micro-organisms which produce undesirable metabolites like ammonia and amines which are toxic to the liver, mutagenic aglycones and carcinogenic nitroseamines as well as fenols, kresols and steroids which can be cancer-promotors.

Vegetables

The capacity to preserve foods has long been used as a means to store vegetables, and it is still prqctices as a household technique in many parts of the world. Paprika and other brightly colored vege-tables can give the product a very pleasing appearance which might appeal to tourists, particularly if the vegetables have been grown ecologically. The technique is simple and has been well described by Annelies Schˆneck in ""Mjˆlk-syrej‰sning av Grˆnsaker" (Syrans Fˆrlag, J‰rne 1981).

ìHealthy Foodsî

One of the major claims for "health foods" is that they prevent heart disease and cancer. In this regard garlic seems to be at the top of the list due to its content (1-2 %) of various tioallyl-compounds and gammaglutamyl peptides from S-allyl cystin (SAC). Those are produced from the labile, strongly smelling substance allicin .This results from the odorless aliiin when the garlic is cut and alliin comes in contact with the enzyme aliinase. The positive effect on heart disease (reduced coronary mortality) of a diet rich in garlic is primarily referred to SAC. This seems to limit the aggre-gation of blood platlets and the multiplication of muscle cells around the large body artery, the aorta. Garlic extracts also inhibit potential carcinogens (dimethyl benzantracen) and have demonstrate an anti-cancer effect in epidemiological studies.

Fenolcompounds (flavonoids) in red wine have an anti-oxidant effect and they also elevate the level of the "good" cholesterol. Often cites studies from Harvard Medical School indicate the 1/2 to two glasses of wine per day reduce the frequency of coronary thrombosis by 45 %.. If this results can be substantiated it has been noted that a bottle of red wine costing US $ 40 might be worth US $ 200 if it was tergeted at people in the risk zone.

A diet rich in Crusiferae (cauliflauer, Brussel sprouts and broccoli) is also associetd with a low cancer incidence, particularly involving the colon. Epidemiological studies also show that ten or more cups of green tea per day reduce the risk for cancer in the stomach, possibly due to substances with anti-oxidant properties.

By and large plant anti-oxidants like tocoferol, ascorbate, phenolcompounds and thiols, �-caroten and ubiquinones (coenzyme Q) all play an important role by reducing the negative effects of free radicals which are also involved in the ageing process.

Etheric oils

Just as many people get satisfaction from using herbal prepara-tions, there is also many americans and europeans who have started to enjoy various forms of aromatherapy which for instance need bath and massage preparations as well as aroma lamps that are used to† disseminate fragrances from a mixture with cheaper carrier oils (jojoba, avocado, whertgerm and aloe).

The following is a list of some commonly used etheric oils:Citrus aurantium bergamia† ("bergamott"), Citrus sinensis† ("apelsin), Citrus limonum† ("citron"), Cymbopogon citratus† ("citrongr‰s"), Eukalyptus globulus† ("eukalyptus"), Pelargonium graveolens† ("geranium"), Citrus decumana† ("grapefruit"),Jasminum grandiflora† ("jasmin"),Cinnamomum ceylanicum† ("kanel"), Lavendula augustifolia† ("lavendel"), Citrus reticulata† ("mandarin"), Pogostemon patchouli† ("patchouli"), Menta piperita† ("mynta"), Citrus aurantium† ("petit grain"), Rosmarinus officinalis† ("rosmarin"), Aniba rosaedora† ("rosentr‰"), and Santalum album† ("sandeltr‰").

Some oils derive from medicinal plants like Thymus vulgaris ("Timjan") which has long been used in the treatment of upper respiratory in-fections. The leaves contain 1.5-2,5 % of an oil that is now often used in schampoos, bathoils and candies.

Etheric plant oils also play a key role in the perfume industry, so the world market is now in excess of 2 billion dollars/year. 250 plants are now harvested† to supply this market, and out of those BalsgÂrd estimates that 50 are suitable for cultivation in Sweden. No production currently takes place in Sweden, but BalsgÂrd estimates that the yield from their four key crops would be in the order of 40 mill. Sw.Cr. The price for various oils varies from 1000 Sw.Cr./kg 'for peppermint to 20.000 Sw.Cr./kg for black current oil.

The harvesting of aromatic oils is normally done by fractionated steam destillation, but extraction with liquid propane is also a possi-bility in the case of flowers. Test runs have been performed at BalsgÂrd with the following species and plant tissues:

In some cases the plant yield per ha is so high that a multipurpose use has been suggested. Populus balsamifera† ("Balsampoppel") yields 10 tons biomass per ha, which is comparable to short rotation forestry (Salix) cultivated for energy purposes, but it also yields 10 kg oii per hectare of a valuable oil† In view of its value as a perfume raw material the oil from first year black current buds yielded O,7 ml oil/kg or 8,9 kg/ha plus about 12 tons lignocellulose.