Food fortification using Essential fatty acids and Antioxidants: A Short Review

Abstract

‘Health is wealth’ is an old saying. It implies that good health is more important than wealth. Food influences health conditions. A balanced nutritious diet is the key to good health. Consumption of non-nutritious food causes malnutrition because of insufficient nutrients. Prolonged deficiencies of certain nutrients lead to serious problems. When the deficiencies are detected, they can be recovered by proper supplementation based on medical prescription in proper doses, i.e., through tablets or injections. It is advisable to avoid such deficiencies by having a nutritious diet. In this context, functional food can be designed to cater to consumers’ needs. Functional food is designed via fortification of food by adding certain nutraceuticals, such as vitamins and essential fatty acids, in a proper proportion. The added nutrients should give a synergistic effect so that the nutritive value of the food can be elevated. Essential fatty acids play a vital role in the progress of the physical and mental health of the human beings. The degradation of the properties of essential fatty acids can be prevented by using antioxidants. In this review paper, the design of functional foods by using essential fatty acids and antioxidants is discussed. The synergistic effect of beneficial activities of essential fatty acids and antioxidants can be achieved in a single functional food.