Functional foods and ingredients offer health benefits that extend beyond
their nutritional value. To develop functional foods, often functional ingredients or
supplements are added to create desired properties, especially in the area of health
improvement. Many well-known functional ingredients can be obtained from
biological processes including probiotics, prebiotics, beta-glucan, enzymes, peptides,
antioxidants, medium or short-chain fatty acids, vitamins, etc. Therefore, it is necessary
to understand the biotechnological process that is used to create high-quality functional
ingredients. This chapter gives an overview of functional foods and ingredients in
terms of definition, category, biological production, safety, and future functional foods.
Functional food can not only prevent nutrient deficiencies but also protect against
diseases and promote proper growth and development, as well as enhance health by
boosting the intake of important nutrients. Innovations in functional foods and
ingredient development would result from understanding more about their
biotechnological manufacturing.
Keywords: Biotechnology, Functional food, Functional ingredients, Functional properties, Health.