Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

By Dr. Rekha Sharma | Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University

Learners enrolled: 1127

The online course on Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals is a 4 credit course of 15 weeks duration. This online course deals with health promoting nutritional factors and bioactive constituents, their potential health implications and mechanisms of action. This course is a part of the approved curriculum and is being taught in Indian Universities for one semester in Masters in Food Science and Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics and Applied Nutrition. After studying this online course, the student shall be able to describe what are functional foods and nutraceuticals, classify the functional foods, discuss the potential health implications and mechanism of functional foods and discuss the applications of functional foods in the industry. The pre-requisites of this course is, the student must be enrolled for Masters degree in Food Science and Nutrition or Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics or Applied Nutrition from Indian Universities. The course shall cover five units viz., ‘Introduction to Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals ,Probiotics, Prebiotics, Other Food Components with Potential Health Benefits and Non Nutrient Effect of Specific Nutrients’. These five units shall be covered in 40 modules and every week two to three modules shall be taught. The final evaluation and credit award of the student shall be based on formative assessments and assignments of 30 marks and summative assessment through online exams of 70 marks.

Summary

Course Status :	Completed
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	Agricultural and Food Engineering
Credit Points :	4
Level :	Postgraduate
Start Date :	10 Jul 2022
End Date :	31 Oct 2022
Enrollment Ends :	15 Sep 2022
Exam Date :

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1

Introduction to Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals :Definition, History and Classification

Perceived Effects of Functional Foods

Week 2

Introduction to Probiotics,Prebiotics and Synbiotics

Probiotics: Taxonomy and Important Features of Probiotic Microorganisms

Health Effects of Probiotic Microorganisms

Week 3

Probiotics in Various Foods

Quality Assurance of Probiotics and Safety

Week 4

Prebiotics: Non Digestible Carbohydrates/ Oligosaccharides,

Prebiotics: Dietary Fiber

Week 5

Prebiotics: Resistant Starch

Prebiotics: Gums

Week 6

Polyphenols: Flavonoids, Catechins, Isoflavones, Tannins

Week 7

Phytoestrogens, Phytosterols, Glucosinolates

Week 8

Pigments: Carotenoids, Lycopene, Curcumin

Week 9

Organosulphur Compounds

Introduction to Anti-nutritional Factors, Phytates

Week 10

Enzymes, Protease inhibitors, Amylase inhibitors

Week 11

Saponins, Haemagglutinins,

An introduction to Active Biodynamic Principles in Spices, Condiments and Plant extracts

Week 12

Resveratrol, Kaempferol, Quercetin, Cinnamaldehyde, Crocin, Lutoline

Week 13

Capsaicin, Piperine, Gingerol, Eugenol, Rosmarinic acid, Apigenine, Thymoquinone

Week 14

Fenugreek and Diosgenin

Non Nutrient Effect of Specific Nutrients: Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Omega 3 Fatty acids

Week 15
Proteins and Peptides, Vitamins and Minerals

Books and references

1. Wildman, R. E. (2016). Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods. CRC Press

2. Gibson, G. R. and Williams, M. C. (2001). Functional Foods Concept to Product. CRC Press.

3. Vattem, D.A. and Maitin V.(2016). Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals and Natural Products, Concepts and Applications. DEStech Publications, Inc

4. Gupta, R. C. (2016). Nutraceuticals: Efficacy, Safety and Toxicity. Academic Press.

Instructor bio

Dr. Rekha Sharma

Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University

Dr. Rekha Sharma is an Associate Professor in UGC- Human Resource Development Centre, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University since March 2004, and is actively engaged in research and training. Having received Ph.D. in Foods and Nutrition from Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, she continued her research and has so for been able to publish 72 research papers in national and international Journals, and presented 16 research papers in the conferences four of them being awarded the best research papers. A prolific writer, her book on wheat germ has been highly appreciated. Eight of her students have been awarded Ph.D. under her guidance and one more student is on her way to complete the research. She has vast experience of teaching of about two decades. She has worked as Research Assistant in UNICEF assisted projects viz., Nutrition, Health Education, Environmental Sanitation (NHEES) and Mother and Child Health Care (MCH). At UGC-HRDC, she has coordinated many Orientation Programmes, Refresher Courses, Short Term Courses and Workshops for Academic Administrators and Principals. Her major areas of interests are Higher Education, ICT in Education, Research Methodology, Statistical Tools, Women Studies and Nutrition. She is convener of Nutrition Society of India, Nagpur Chapter. She is SWAYAM coordinator of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, and has conducted several awareness programmes on SWAYAM and MOOCs.