Functional Foods and Natural Products: Bioactive Compounds and Beneficial Effects on Health

Dear Colleagues,

In the last years, the intake of food products composed of artificial compounds/additives has motivated many discussions because of the potential adverse effects of these substances on consumer health. Therefore, many food companies have started to substitute these additives (chemically produced or chemically modified after extraction) with natural equivalents in order to meet current consumer expectations for safer and healthy foods. In this sense, functional foods and natural products are constituted of several compounds, and many of which have bioactive properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumoral, and numerous supplementary properties. Bioactive compounds are chemical components that have been described as containing vitamins, minerals, fibers, sugars, and phenolic compounds with potential health-beneficial activities, protecting against inflammatory chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as cancers, ageing, and others. Therefore, these bioactive molecules can be used as food supplements or additives for many foods, protecting or promoting health.

Prof. Dr. António José Madeira Nogueira
Dr. Andrea Luísa Fernandes Afonso
Guest Editors

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