The pivot by the food industry, because of the pressing concerns of environment and health-related aspects, relates to sustainability and nutritious food. The driving functions are foods and smart proteins. The bioactive elements in functional foods cite an array of health benefits beyond basic nutrition. It helps reduce the risk of diseases, minimizes inflammation, and combats oxidative stress while keeping the gut healthy. Smart proteins, on the other hand, present plant-based and fermentation-derived alternative options to foods traditionally taken from animals. The essay has sought to discuss how such advances and innovations in the food industry open pathways toward a healthy and ethical food system that brings along its challenges, which have to be attended to with due caution and attention.

Our human body is somewhat like a farm wherein the soil is rich in proper nutrients, with genetically engineered crops for optimizing productivity and sustainability. Therefore, our body also requires the same support from functional foods, which would be the nutrient-rich soil boosting overall health, whereas smart proteins are the genetically modified crops that increase productivity and sustainability.

Other key components of functional food would include probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics. Summing up, these components act in synergy to improve gut flora by encouraging the proliferation of good bacteria. Their metabolic production protects us against pathogens and also maintains good gut balance(Peng, et al., 2020). Chronic diseases are also mitigated. It is shown, for example, that a diet high in whole grains, rye, oats, barley, and whole wheat carries a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and various cancers(Borneo, et al., 2012).

Smart proteins are new revolutionary inventions in food industries. Apart from nutritional resemblance, they will help decrease the environmental burdens too. The substitutes come from plant sources, microbial fermentation, cell culture meat, and insect processing (Raman, et al., 2024). Mushrooms, rice, lentils, soy protein, & wheat gluten are processed to achieve meaty texture with meaty additives (Joshi & Kumar, 2015).

Besides these benefits, functional foods and smart proteins also have their challenges. As in the article written by Niamh Hunt from Kerry (2022), functional food industries still face challenges in sourcing ingredients with proven benefits, creating innovative products, and meeting demands for sustainability and transparency.
A study stated that no matter how many alternatives or smart protein options are available in the market, consumers find it very difficult to leave regular meat(Siegrist & Hartmann, 2023). Consequently, another major challenge that smart proteins face comes as consumer scepticism. To realize the full potential of functional foods and smart proteins, one needs to learn to move along with new food technological developments.

All these challenges will be surpassed with continuous research, policy support, rules and regulations, technological changes, and consumer acceptance. Proper marketing strategies shall educate consumers and reduce consumer scepticism. There is an urge to educate consumers about the safety, benefits, efficacy, and sustainability of these food products.

The reality is that functional foods and smart proteins are, in fact, the game changers that the future of the food industry would most promise. They hold tremendous potential in the context of nutrition and sustainability. While smart proteins proved to be a sustainable alternative, functional foods go beyond just nutrition. These are the beacons of hope arising now.

References
1. Borneo, R., & León, A. E. (2012). Whole grain cereals: functional components and health benefits. Food Funct., 3(2), 110–119. doi:10.1039/c1fo10165j

2. Joshi, V., and Kumar, S. (2015). Meat analogues: plant-based alternatives to meat products-a review. Int. J. Food Ferment. Technol. 5, 107–119. doi: 10.5958/2277-9396.2016.00001.5 Kahiluoto, H., Kuisma, M., Kuokkanen, A., Mikk

3. Kumar, R., Guleria, A., Padwad, Y. S., Srivatsan, V., & Yadav, S. K. (2024). Smart proteins as a new paradigm for meeting dietary protein sufficiency of India: a critical review on the safety and sustainability of different protein sources. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2024.2367564

4. Michael Siegrist, Christina Hartmann, Why alternative proteins will not disrupt the meat industry, Meat Science, Volume 203, 2023,109223, ISSN 0309-1740, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109223.

5. Joshi, V., and Kumar, S. (2015). Meat analogues: plant-based alternatives to meat products-a review. Int. J. Food Ferment. Technol. 5, 107–119. doi: 10.5958/2277-9396.2016.00001.5 Kahiluoto, H., Kuisma, M., Kuokkanen, A., Mikk

Shreya Arun Dandwate

University/College name : VIT Bhopal University