Functional Food

"Functional Food" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.

MeSH information

Definition | Details | More General Concepts | Related Concepts | More Specific Concepts

Components of the usual diet that may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrients. Examples of functional foods include soy, nuts, chocolate, and cranberries (From NCCAM Backgrounder, March 2004, p3).

Descriptor ID	D055951
MeSH Number(s)	G07.203.300.572 J02.500.572
Concept/Terms	Functional Food Functional Food Food, Functional Foods, Functional Functional Foods

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Functional Food".

Biological Sciences [G]
Physiological Phenomena [G07]
Diet, Food, and Nutrition [G07.203]
Food [G07.203.300]
Functional Food [G07.203.300.572]
Technology, Industry, Agriculture [J]
Food and Beverages [J02]
Food [J02.500]
Functional Food [J02.500.572]

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is related to "Functional Food".

Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Functional Food".

publications

Timeline | Most Recent

This graph shows the total number of publications written about "Functional Food" by people in this website by year, and whether "Functional Food" was a major or minor topic of these publications.

Bar chart showing 38 publications over 15 distinct years, with a maximum of 6 publications in 2021

To see the data from this visualization as text, click here.

Year	Major Topic	Minor Topic	Total
2010	2	0	2
2012	2	1	3
2013	1	0	1
2015	2	0	2
2016	1	1	2
2017	2	0	2
2018	0	1	1
2019	1	1	2
2020	3	0	3
2021	1	5	6
2022	1	2	3
2023	1	2	3
2024	1	4	5
2025	1	1	2
2026	1	0	1

Below are the most recent publications written about "Functional Food" by people in Profiles.

Chen X, Liang Z, Li S, Yan J, Du H, Qiu Z, Luo M, Leng X, Zhu J, Xiao H. Advances in Starch-Lipid-Protein Interactions in Starch-Based Food Systems: Bridging Structural Complexity With Functional Design. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2026 Jan; 25(1):e70314.

View in: PubMed
Jianghao Z, Shadrack SM, Mingcheng W, Shichao M, Mengjia C, Rakariyatham K, McClements DJ, Chongjiang C, Xiao X, Biao Y. Overcoming oral delivery barriers of functional proteins: current status and advanced delivery technologies. Food Chem. 2026 Feb 28; 503:147818.

View in: PubMed
Shadrack SM, Wang Y, Mi S, Lu R, Zhu Y, Tang Z, McClements DJ, Cao C, Xu X, Li W, Yuan B. Enhancing bioavailability and functionality of plant peptides and proteins: A review of novel strategies for food and pharmaceutical applications. Food Chem. 2025 Sep 01; 485:144440.

View in: PubMed
Sun G, Li B, Li Y, McClements DJ. Construction of biopolymer-based hydrogel beads for encapsulation, retention, and colonic delivery of tributyrin: Development of functional beverages (fortified bubble tea). Food Res Int. 2024 Dec; 197(Pt 1):115165.

View in: PubMed
Ma G, Li X, Tao Q, Ma S, Du H, Hu Q, Xiao H. Impacts of preparation technologies on biological activities of edible mushroom polysaccharides - novel insights for personalized nutrition achievement. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025; 65(15):2898-2920.

View in: PubMed
Liu X, Song Z, Tian W, Huang Q, Chen M, Huang Y, Xiao H, Xiao J. Advancements in lipid-based delivery systems for functional foods: a comprehensive review of literature and patent trends. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025; 65(13):2456-2472.

View in: PubMed
Xu X, Tang Q, Gao Y, Chen S, Yu Y, Qian H, McClements DJ, Cao C, Yuan B. Recent developments in the fabrication of food microparticles and nanoparticles using microfluidic systems. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025; 65(12):2199-2213.

View in: PubMed
Peng X, McClements DJ, Liu X, Liu F. EGCG-based nanoparticles: synthesis, properties, and applications. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025; 65(12):2177-2198.

View in: PubMed
Jin C, Zongo AW, Du H, Lu Y, Yu N, Nie X, Ma A, Ye Q, Xiao H, Meng X. Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) fruit: a critical review of its functional nutrients, processing methods, health-promoting effects, comprehensive application and future tendencies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2025; 65(1):165-192.

View in: PubMed
Li C, Chen L, McClements DJ, Peng X, Xu Z, Meng M, Ji H, Qiu C, Long J, Jin Z. Encapsulation of polyphenols in protein-based nanoparticles: Preparation, properties, and applications. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Nov; 64(31):11341-11355.

View in: PubMed

People

Explore

Similar Concepts

Top Journals