NutriNext 2.0

Smart proteins and functional meals have become key ideas in the quickly changing fields of nutrition and food science, revolutionizing our knowledge of the connection between nutrition and health. The idea that food is only a source of necessary nutrients has changed to one that recognizes food’s potential as a tool for promoting optimal health and lowering the risk of disease. This is reflected in these novel food categories.
According to Crowe and Francis (2013), functional foods are “whole foods along with fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods that have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as 
part of a varied diet on a regular basis at effective levels.” This is the definition provide by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This wide group of goods includes anything from complete foods that are naturally high in nutrients to those that have been improved or altered to provide certain health advantages above and above simple nourishment. While some foods have long been known to have therapeutic qualities, the idea of functional foods is not wholly new. But contemporary research has made it possible to target particular physiological processes with food ingredients and gain a more detailed understanding of them.
A variety of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and bioactive substances, may be added to these foods as fortifiers due to their ability to either prevent or improve health. Smart proteins are an innovative advancement in food technology that enhance the functional food category. Designer or engineered proteins, sometimes referred to as smart proteins, are protein molecules that have undergone precise creation or modification to acquire improved functional, nutritional, or bioactive qualities.
In the sense that they are designed to carry out particular tasks in food chains or in the human body after ingestion, these proteins are “smart.” The creation of intelligent proteins makes use of cutting-edge methods from the fields of food science, biotechnology, and protein engineering.These techniques enable the molecular alteration of protein structures, producing proteins with enhanced stability, solubility, or bioactivity. Better nutritional profiles, increased digestibility, or particular health-promoting qualities like anti-inflammatory or antioxidant capabilities can all be incorporated into smart protein design.

Jyotsna Joy

University/College name : Dr. N. G. P. Arts and Science College