Food matrix impact on macronutrients nutritional properties

The food industry is aware of the consumer's desire to purchase delicious, convenient and nutritious foods. Rapid development of functional foods has induced the food industry to evaluate and revise the composition of their processed foods as well as their processing conditions and methods to improve nutritional and health effects. The addition of new bioactive compounds to a food requires that the bioactive agent is in the active form by the time it reaches the gastrointestinal tract, where it is assimilated. However, the question is whether or not the processes and the composition of traditional foods are carefully balanced to ensure the optimal nutritional properties. This paper aims to review the concepts and facts that are the basis of the new area of research regarding the role of food structure on the nutritional properties of conventional and functional foods. Several original approaches have emerged, bringing together scientists from fields such as food science, nutrition and physiology, which bring enlightening new perspectives to the development of delicious and nutritional foods. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.