Handbook of Functional Lipids

1.8.1

Market ................................................................................................ 12

1.8.2

Consumer Trends ............................................................................... 12

1.8.3

Regulatory Review ............................................................................. 12

1.9

Omega-3 Fatty Acids as Ingredients in Functional
Foods and Nutraceuticals............................................................................... 13

1.10 The Functional Lipid Industry....................................................................... 13
1.11 Delivery Systems for Functional Lipids........................................................ 14
1.12 World Recommendations for Omega-3

and -6 Fatty Acids.......................................................................................... 15

1.13 Safety.............................................................................................................. 16
1.14 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 16
References................................................................................................................ 17

1.1 INTRODUCTION

In the late 1980s consumers began to recognize that certain foods and food supplements
could have an impact on health. The first phase of this “health and wellness revolution”
belongs to dietary supplements that, through the passage of the Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in the United States in 1994 [1], market dynamics
changed significantly — initially to the positive and then to the negative.

For the food industry, it has been a somewhat different story that has yet to play

itself out. The United States responded to industry pressure in 1990 by enacting the
Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) [2] to allow manufacturers to promote
the benefits of their food products. This regulatory framework ‘‘kick” started the functional
foods revolution in the North American marketplace, which welcomed new food product
introductions, a revival of science, and consumer interest.

The 1980s were a period of rapid expansion in scientific knowledge about

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in general, and omega-3 PUFA, in particular.
Both omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs are precursors of hormone-like compounds
known as eicosanoids, which are involved in many important biological processes
in the human body. Recently it has been suggested that the typical “Western” diet,
which is relatively high in omega-6 PUFA and low in omega-3 PUFA, may not
supply the appropriate balance of PUFAs for proper biological function. As such, a
significant industry has developed to produce and market lipids for dietary supple-
ments as well as ingredients for functional foods.

1.2 FUNCTIONAL FOODS

“Functional foods” is essentially a marketers’ or an analysts’ term and globally is not
recognized in law or defined in the dictionary. For the purposes of this report, the
definition of functional foods as proposed by Health Canada will be used. In 1998, it
was proposed that a functional food was “similar in appearance to a conventional food,
consumed as part of the usual diet, with demonstrated physiological benefits, and/or
to reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions” [3].

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