ADVANCES IN NUTRITION PRODUCT FORMULATION AND PROCESSING: INTEGRATING FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS, BIOACTIVITY, AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY

Abstract

Background There has been an ever-increasing need for the development of functional foods to provide biological health effects that are still amenable to industrial food processing. Objective The purpose of this research was to assess functional ingredient choice, processing, and encapsulation effects on nutritional profile, bioactive compound stability, and efficiency of production in various food systems. Methodology Protein, and fiber, rich ingredients, including selected by, products, were used to develop baked, extruded, and beverage products. Bioactives, both free and encapsulated, were added and the mixtures were processed under controlled conditions. Determined and compared with control formulations were the nutritional composition, retention of bioactives, techno, functional properties, and in vitro bioaccessibility. Results Fortified products exhibited elevated levels of protein, dietary fiber, and antioxidant activity in comparison to the respective controls. Encapsulation led to improved stability of bioactives during the processing and storage time and also to increased bioaccessibility after the simulated digestion. Processing performance and product quality were found to be within the acceptable range for all systems. Conclusion The evidence illustrates that the optimization of processing techniques can allow the mixing of functional components into a wide range of food products, which leads to the production of nutritional foods that can be made on a large scale with the use of efficient industrial methods.