This book provides an insight about the different food ingredients that has one or more functional property that might deliver enhanced nutrition to the human body. Value addition of foods enriches it with the healthy components, increases the consumers acceptability and opens up a new market with new avenues for the booming proprietary food industry.     

       The concept of value addition of food came to the scenario when consumers became cautious about their nutrition and well being. As the world suffered from malnutrition, the nutritionists are eyeing on the alleviation of the nutritional deficiencies through fortification of micronutrients, vitamins, dietary fibres or by developing low fat or low sodium or sugar free food which will reduce the progress of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes etc. The health benefits exerted by functional ingredients can be claimed only after validation through in vitro or in vivo studies and clinical trials in human subjects. The objectives of functional food ingredients can be meted out only when there is interventions and modifications in process parameters which will help in safeguarding the biological activity of the functional component till it is being consumed by the humans. The book aims to cover all aspects about each of the food ingredients that are substantially beneficial to human health in one form or the other.