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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #146916

Title: PHYTOSTEROLS IN FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Author
item Moreau, Robert

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2003
Publication Date: 4/20/2003
Citation: Moreau, R.A. Plant sterols in functional foods. 2003. Book Chapter. P. Dutta (ed.), in Phytosterols as functional food components and nutraceuticals. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 317-345.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The field of nutraceuticals and functional foods has rapidly emerged during the last twenty years, as international consumers have become very interested in acquiring healthy foods. The international regulatory and health claim issues in this field are quite complex and efforts are underway to try to unify and clarify some of this confusion. In 1995 the first phytosterol functional food product, Benecol margarine, was launched in Finland, and since then phytosterol products have spread to more than twenty counties and they have emerged as one of the major types of functional foods. The cholesterol-lowering properties of phytosterols have been demonstrated by numerous clinical studies. The intense international interest in phytosterols have resulted in more than forty patents on phytosterol products, and more than ten commercial phytosterol products currently being marketed in many parts of the world.