Food & Beverages
Food and nutrition research is driven largely by the rising cost of healthcare, the ageing population, and the increase in lifestyle diseases (such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes). There is also a worldwide trend towards maximising our health and wellbeing through lifestyle and diet.
The following broad areas of research are likely to have a significant impact on the future:
- identifying valuable bioactive compounds in foods, and enhancing their production and extraction
- improving methods for identifying and evaluating components of functional foods to reduce the risk of chronic disease and maximise health and wellbeing
- improving nutrient levels in foods through marker-assisted breeding of crops and possibly genetic modification
Functional foods are whole foods that may have been fortified or enriched to provide health benefits beyond simply providing essential nutrients, for example fortified margarines that contain plant sterol and stanol esters that reduce cholesterol levels.
Nutraceuticals are bioactive components of food that deliver a health benefit. For example, a new initiative at HortResearch is looking at using naturally-derived nutritional supplements to optimise muscle gain and maintenance in both healthy and sick people.
Nutrigenomics is a realitively new area of research that aims to help personalise dietary decisions for maximum health by examining the interactions between food and genes. For an in-depth case study of work in this area, visit the Nutrigenomics focus story.
