7 - Determining the functional properties of food components in the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

A functional food should have a relevant effect on well-being and health or result in a reduction in disease risk. The component that makes the food “functional” can be: a macronutrient if it has specific beneficial physiological effects, an essential micronutrient if its concentration and availability, in the food, allows the consumer to reach the daily recommendations; or a food component that is not necessarily listed as “essential” or may even be of non-nutritive value. Functional properties of the food can be intrinsic to the food material or can be linked to a specific treatment and/or supplementation. Assuming the above definition is consensual, cereals products minimally processed or fractionated can or could be recognized as functional foods. This chapter summarizes the major cereal components that are known or are thought to have functional properties in the gastrointestinal tract or to have an effect on the overall metabolism of humans. It focuses on methodologies that allow the determination or the prediction of the functional properties of foods or food components in the gastrointestinal tract and considers the different functional properties in cereal products that are either related to the gastrointestinal function or that can be predicted from events occurring in the gastrointestinal tract, including, digestion, fermentation, and absorption of nutrients. It also evaluates the strength of the tests and discusses the main criticisms and advantages of most of the methods.