Design and development of meat-based functional foods with walnut: Technological, nutritional and health impact

With growing understanding of the relationship between diet and health has come the emergence of so-called functional foods. The idea of using food for health purposes and not merely as a source of nutrients opens up a whole new field in the meat industry. In addition to traditional presentations, there a number of ways in which the meat sector can modify the qualitative and quantitative composition of meat and meat product components and produce designer foods with specific properties. This entails addressing quality factors associated with different product properties (sensory and technological properties, hygiene, convenience, stability, etc.), nutritional value (balanced composition and bioactive substances) and their effects on physiological function and health. This article reviews a comprehensive model for the development of meat-based functional foods based on a presentation of the research achieved in terms of the design and development of qualitatively and quantitatively modified meat products (through reformulation) in nutrients associated with cardiovascular risk (walnut as a source of bioactive substances). It also discusses their bioavailability and the effect of their consumption on intermediate cardiovascular risk markers in humans. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.