ReviewThe role of rabbit meat as functional food
Introduction
“Functional foods” have become increasingly popular in recent years, even if the term has never been officially defined. Most experts agree on the following definition: “A food can be regarded as functional if it is satisfactorily demonstrated to affect beneficially one or more target functions in the body, beyond adequate nutritional effects, in a way that is relevant to either improved state of health and well-being and/or reduction of disease risk”. This definition was included in the EC Project FUFOSE Consensus Document (1999).
The first country to develop the idea of functional foods and establish regulations for their uses was Japan (Kwak & Jukes, 2001). Functional foods have long been recognized as integral parts of Asian culture, (Tapsell, 2008). Outside Japan, USA and Canada are the most dynamic markets for functional foods because their consumers appear relatively receptive to foods they believe to be functional (Verschuren, 2002), also because the legislative framework is more favorable than in Europe (Zhang, Xiao, Samaraweera, Lee, & Ahn, 2010). The large increase of functional food consumed in Japan and USA has also been promoted by the respective public authorities, who consider functional foods a possible tool in reducing public health costs (Arai, 1996, Decker and Park, 2010).
European consumers, particularly in Mediterranean countries, are generally diffident towards new foods even when marked as healthy. European consumers have also recently begun showing more interest in functional foods, but the degree of confidence in using such products seems to pose the biggest limit to wider use (Fogliano & Vitaglione, 2005).
Functional foods can be classified into two main categories according to their expected effects: those aiming to improve physiological functions, and those aiming to reduce the risk of specific pathologies. In both cases, it must remain food, and it must demonstrate its effects in amounts normally expected to be consumed in the diet (Diplock et al., 1999).
Functional foods have been developed in virtually all food categories, and functional properties can be included in numerous different ways: 1. by adding a so-called functional ingredient to a traditional food matrix to obtain a fortified food (with additional nutrients) or an enriched food (with added new nutrients or components not normally found); 2. by modifying the technological process (fermentation, extrusion, thermal treatment), thus either allowing or enhancing the formation of compounds having specific biological activities or removing a deleterious component from the food; and 3. by enhancing functional nutrients or compounds through animal feeding, special growing conditions, genetic manipulation, or selecting new varieties not previously consumed (Fogliano & Vitaglione, 2005).
The main categories of ingredients used in functional foods include probiotics (lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria), prebiotics (oligosaccharides, resistant starch, pectins), vitamins (Folic acid, B6, B12, D, K), minerals (Ca, Mg, Zn, Se), antioxidants (Tocols — e.g. vitamin E–vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols), proteins, peptides, amino acids, fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids, GLA, CLA), and phytochemicals (phytosterols, beta-glucan isoflavones, lignans).
Large numbers of functional foods are available today and have developed differently in the three main market segments, Japan, USA and Europe, mainly on the basis of cultural background. The leading functional food category in USA and Japan is functional drinks (58%); the second is cereals (USA, 17%) or confectionery (Japan, 15%), whereas the leading category in Europe is dairy products (46%) and secondly, cereal products (28%) (Holm, 2003).
Until recently, part of the functional foods sold in the market lacked scientific literature that supported their health properties in humans. Furthermore, the health and nutritional claims on the package were often misleading, as the strategy was to be appealing for consumers. In order to protect European consumers from false or misleading health claims on industrial food product packaging and reassure them of the product's effectiveness and safety, EC regulation (EC, 2006) provides precise recommendations as to how to release nutritional and health claims made in commercial communications on foods (EC No. 1924/2006). The year the regulation became effective, some scientists were skeptical of a potential enlargement of the European functional food market (Bech-Larsen & Scholderer, 2007). An international symposium in Malta in 2007 in a forum between stakeholders from the food industry, academia, consumer groups, and regulatory authorities,, showed that this EU regulation provides a platform for the development of foods that offer healthier choices for consumers, and that this will further drive the ongoing reformulation of existing food products and the development of innovative products in the interest of better consumer health and well-being and business opportunities (Binns & Howlett, 2009).
Section snippets
The role of rabbit meat as functional food
Meat and meat products may be considered functional foods to the extent that they contain numerous compounds thought to be functional. In fact, they are major sources of many vital nutrients such as zinc and iron (particularly abundant in red meats), selenium (high in beef, chicken and rabbit meats), and B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, and cobalt (abundant in all meats) (Table 2, Table 3). Furthermore, they could contribute to the intake of vitamin E, minerals such as Ca, Mg, K, and omega-3
Conclusions
Functional foods are a tool that can be easily used in reducing public health costs. Regular rabbit meat consumption could provide consumers with bioactive compounds because rabbit diet manipulation is very effective in increasing levels of PUFA, CLA, EPA, DHA, vitamin E, selenium etc. and the lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio that plays a key role in controlling CVD and other chronic diseases.
Compared to meats of other animal species, rabbit meat has lower cholesterol contents and high levels of
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