ABSTRACT

Since ancient times, consuming food from plants has provided immense ben­ efits to human health. To be precise, plants contain various phytochemical compounds, mostly polyphenols. These polyphenols are responsible for the aforementioned beneficial activity, as reported by various research studies. Recently pharmaceutical products that contain nutraceuticals as their active ingredient have appeared in health products. These active ingredients are comprised mainly of phytochemicals with bioactivity (Espín et al. 2007). The

1.1.1 Introduction .....................................................................................3 1.1.2 Classification of nutraceuticals .......................................................4 1.1.3 Prior investigation ...........................................................................5 1.1.4 Contemporary explorations ............................................................6

1.2 Nutraceuticals: Applications .......................................................................7 1.2.1 Nutraceuticals: A functional food ...................................................7 1.2.2 Functional food: Definition .............................................................8 1.2.3 Probiotics and prebiotics ................................................................9 1.2.4 Nutraceuticals: Antioxidants .........................................................10 1.2.5 Nutraceuticals: Antiaging ..............................................................13 1.2.6 Nutraceuticals: Anticancer.............................................................13 1.2.7 Nutraceuticals from algae: Functions ...........................................15 1.2.8 Nutraceuticals: Therapeutic applications ......................................16 1.2.9 Metallonutraceuticals ....................................................................18