Functional foods edible plants

Systematic reviews Arsenic enters human food chain possibly by arsenic accumulations in edible plants and crops, from contaminated soils and irrigation water that further reach livestock meat, animal products like milk and egg [9 ]. However in regions like Latin America, despite its long history of arsenic contamination, are rather poorly reported for arsenic toxicity. A systematic review revealed that at least 4.5 million people in Latin America are chronically exposed to high arsenic levels (>50 ng/L) with increased risks of adverse health effects like internal and external cancers, reproductive toxicity and childhood cognitive deficient function [10 ]. 

Polyphenols are commonly present in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and flowers. Moreover, polyphenols can be found in such products as cocoa, tea, coffee, wine, jam, and chocolate. Polyphenolic compounds are also often applied in cosmetics, medicines, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, and in recent years, for the production of functional foods. The food industry offers a variety of new functional products in which the polyphenol content is usually higher than in products of natural origin. Milk enriched with soy isoflavones, chocolate enriched in procyanidins, drinks with higher amounts of anthocyanins, functional drinks enriched with extracts of tea—these are just a few products that are the result of functional foods revolution. On the other hand, the use of synthetic antioxidants in the food industry is of great concern among consumers who seek to limit their intake. Toxicological and nutritional research indicates adverse effect of some synthetic antioxidants used in food. The use of additives in food products, mainly in edible fats, means that more attention should be paid to antioxidants that are derived from natural plant extracts and used as food additives. 

Phytochemicals associated with health promotion and disease prevention are described in Table 2. The most studied food sources of these phytonutrients are soy beans (Glycine max) and tea (Camellia sinensis leaves), but tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculen-tum), broccoli (Brassica oleracea), garlic (Allium sativum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), tart cherries (Prunus cerasus), and various types of berries are also receiving considerable attention as functional food candidates. An overview of the research on soy and tea illustrates some of the clinical issues encountered in the development of functional foods from edible plants. 

Edible films and coatings can be carriers of antioxidants (phenolic compounds such as butylated lydroxyanisole, propyl gallate, butylated hydroxytolene, tocopherol, citric acid, ascorbic acid, or natural compounds from heib extract) and antimicrobials (oiganic acids and their salts such as benzoic acid, soibic acid, propionic acid, chitosan, plant essential oil extracts, and so on.) to enhance their functional properties as active packagings (Janjarasskul and Krochta, 2010). Moreover, they can be carriers of nutrients, flavors, and colors to improve food nutritional and sensoiy quality. 

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