Functional ingredients are key for health-conscious consumers.
Health-conscious individuals find functional ingredients to be an important addition to their diet, it has been claimed.
Food & Beverage News reports the findings of Frost & Sullivan, which places the growth rate in "wellness nutrition" at 20 per cent per annum.
The article adds that the continuing interest in functional ingredients marks the latest in a long history of awareness of the health implications of what we eat.
For instance, the nutraceutical industry publication points out that vitamins have long been associated with good health.
Vitamin C is a prime example of this, as it has been known to prevent the development of scurvy for some time.
Other vitamins also prevent health problems, the article adds, such as A's action in maintaining good vision and a B1 deficiency leading to beri beri.
The publication recently noted that interest in ingredients in the US is currently focused on alternative sweeteners, according to studies conducted by the Freedonia Group.
