Super and Nutraceutical Foods: Composition and Technology

Superfoods have been used for human consumption for centuries. These foods provide an important amount of essential nutrients and energy. Nowadays, the nutraceutical properties of superfoods have acquired importance due to their additional health benefits. Most superfoods are eaten in their fresh form in producing regions, but seasonality is an important limiting issue. Traditional processing technologies have been used to assure supply for the whole year, and innovative processing technologies have been developed to reach bigger markets. In this book, the authors provide information about nutritional aspects of the described foods. Additionally, the different functional properties of each food, such as antioxidant, anticancer, hypoglycemic, and cardioprotective activities are discussed. It includes information about their principal bioactive compounds, biological activities, the effects of processing these compounds, nutritional values, and sensorial properties and shelf life. The first section is focused on the properties of selected fruits, some eaten fresh, others only after a first transformation. The second section is focused on a selection of foods having been transformed before human consumption, such as cereals, pseudocereals, and legumes. Finally, the third section includes a set of products from animal and diverse origins.