Research Information System
2014 Annual Conference&Exhibition/Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, Natural Health Products, and Dietary Supplements, İstanbul, Turkey, 14 - 17 October 2014, pp.372
Food is briefly defined as foods and drinks which contain nutrients in sufficient amounts. While alcoholic beverages included this definition, medicinal drugs and cigarette excluded. Focus in nutrition is directed into delaying or prevention of degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity and cancer instead of nutritional deficiencies. For this purpose specific foods which expressed in various terms began to be produced. In this case, the importance of health related foods in terms of food science and technology is understood well.
Since ancient times, many health related terms have been used to describe important foods. In recent years, there have been increases in their numbers. These historical and emerged terms are alchemy, elixir, cure ( or curing ), qudrat ( power ) food, functional food, nutraceutical, medical food, pharmafood, designer food, mood and performance food and diet food.
Food terms which have historical importance are alchemy, elixir, cure and qudrat ( power ) food. Alchemy and elixir were used to describe food, molecule or other substances. It is beleived that they have not been existed yet and they will be found in the future. Other newly emerged seven terms are functional food, nutraceutical, medical food, designer food, pharmafood, mood and performance food and diet food. Foods expressed with these terms are produced at the thought that they may be effective in the prevention of many diseases and treatment of certain chronic diseases.
The number of terms can be much more than listed here. The purpose of this study is to identify and systematize the foods fall within these groups expressed with terms above and to produce them by using facilities of food science and technology. In this study, historical and emerging terms will be discussed under the separate headings.