To provide better understanding of use, benefits, significance and impact of functional food ingredients on human health and to disseminate the recent developments in such a rapidly expanding field, this book has been compiled and edited.

There are seventeen chapters in this book which not only cover many aspects of functional foods and bioactive compounds from various natural sources and its impacts, but also discuss on sources and applications of natural antioxidants, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. The contributing authors are experts in their respective fields.

This book will be of interest to a wide spectrum of professionals from food scientists and technologists, nutritionists, biochemists, and engineers to entrepreneurs worldwide. It will also serve as a unique reference for food scientists for the R&D departments of food companies that are working with functional foods and ingredients. Additionally, it will serve as a source of basic information for college and university students majoring in food science and technology, food processing, and engineering.

Readers will obtain sound scientific knowledge about various aspects of nutraceuticals and functional foods or food ingredients, fermented functional food, various natural bioactive compounds and antioxidants.

Prof. (Dr.) Tanweer Alam is currently working as the Director (I.C) of Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai. Before joining IIP, he has worked as Assistant Professor at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, SHUATS, Allahabad and Jiwaji University, Gwalior. He has been working for last two decades in different academic institutions and also involved in teaching of graduate, postgraduate and doctoral students. His Doctoral research work at the prestigious National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal was based on Modified Atmosphere Packaging of food products. He had been guest faculty at University of Copenhagen, Denmark under faculty exchange programme funded by European Union. He performed as jury for Asia Star Award and World Star Award. He has organized several conferences/workshops of national/international stature for promoting packaging industry. He has published several research and technical papers in high impact referred journals, apart from delivering invited lectures both in India and abroad. He has also contributed more than 20 book chapters and also edited dozens of proceedings and technical souvenir and authored edited five books. He is Associate Editor of Asian Journal of Dairy Science. Editor in cheif of Journal of Packaging Technology and Research and also associated with Editorial Board of Processed Food Industry. He is Life member of different scientific and academic societies.

Prof. Saket Kushwaha, currently the Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi Central University, Arunachal Pradesh, is specialized in resource management and sustainable agriculture development. After higher studies from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), joined Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Nigeria in 1993 and taught various courses in Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness, Agriculture Extension and Manage-ment at undergraduate, post graduate and Ph.D. level. Prof. Kushwaha rose to the rank of Professor at ATBU in the year 1999 and in 2006 joined BHU, India as professor in Agriculture Economics and became the Vice Chancellor of Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Bihar for one term 2014-2017. Prof Kushwaha has more than 120 publications in national and international journals of repute to his credit, supervised 24 Ph.D. students and authored 21 books / book chapters. Prof. Kushwaha is life member of 10 Professional Bodies and sits in the panel of several editorial boards. He has worked extensively in the field of Zero Emission Research Initiative (ZERI) propagating the mission of sustainable development under the aegis of “Waste is Wealth” concept. He is also the recipient of 19 national and international awards which includes award from Sulabh International Gold Medal in 2016 for sanitation management. Prof Kushwaha has 27 years of teaching, research, extension and community service experience with 23 years in administration as Head of the Department, Coordinator, Prof-in-Charge (Director), Dean of Faculty and Vice Chancellor.  He has successfully concluded over 10 national and international projects majorly funded by World Banks. He has coordinated USAID project on Cowpea Research Support Programme (CRSP) in Nigeria for 10 years from 1996 to 2006. He is working with NGOs and mega agriculture farms for Green Farm Planning.

Dr. Arun Kumar is presently working as Associate Prof. and Head of Department of Dairy and Food Chemistry, College of Dairy and Food Technology, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan since 2007. Dr. Kumar has obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D degree in Dairy Chemistry from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana), Asia’s premier institute in Dairying.

Dr. Arun Kumar served as a Senior Analyst in the state of the art NABL accredited Food Testing Laboratory, FICCI’s Research and Analysis Centre (FRAC), New Delhi sponsored by FICCI and Ministry of Food Processing and Industries, New Delhi  for four and half years. He has handled Ministry of Food Processing Industries, New Delhi, India sponsored R&D project entitled “Characterization of Colostrum Bio-active Components from Different Species and their application in the Formulation of Novel Dairy Products of amount 87.26 lacs. He has also acted as Course Director of ICAR, New Delhi sponsored Winter school entitled “Significance of Bioactive Ingredients and Supplements in Health Foods”. He has successfully contributed in research findings of six sponsored R & D projects. He has guided 55 MSc. and Ph.D students. He has published 32 research articles in national and international journals of repute. He has 12 awards to his credit in recognition of his academic and research excellence by prestigious institutes. He has participated in various national and international conferences, delivered radio talks, TV Shows as an expert on Dairy and Food Quality Aspects. He is a life member of several professional societies like Dairy Technology Society of India, NDRI, Karnal, Indian Dairy Association (IDA), New Delhi, Indian Journal of Animal Science, New Delhi, Rajasthan Chapter of Asian Agri History Foundation, Udaipur, AFST etc and a regular reviewer of Springer Journals.

Prof. (Dr.) Sahar Masud is presently working as Professor (Fisheries) at SKUAST, Jammu. Presently She is Head of Division of Fisheries Resource Management, Integrated Fish farming and Aquaculture.

She has guided Post Graduate and Ph.D students and having Publications in the field Fisheries Resource Management, Integrated Fish farming, organic farming and Aquaculture.Authored books on Prospects and Potential of Fish Farming in Jammu and Kashmir, How to start Fish farming, Vision document andpolicy paperfor development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Jammu and Kashmir.

1. Functional Foods Concept Trends and its Packaging Aspects, 2. Neutraceuticals and its Impact on Human Health, 3. Significance of Bioactive Compounds from Natural and Dietary Interventions in Cancer Chemoprevention, 4. Processing of Functional Food Ingredients, 5. Natural Bioactive Compounds, 6.  Natural Bioactive Compounds in Vegetables, 7. Natural Bioactive Compounds in Pulses, 8.Biological Activation of Grains as Functional Food Ingredients, 9. Aromatic Spices: Potent Sources of Natural Antioxidants, 10. Use of Functional Ingredients for Development of Healthy Meat Products, 11. Functional Foods Ingredients from Fish and Fish Products,12. Functional Food Ingredients in Milk and Milk Products, 13. Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics- The Dairy Functional Food, 14. Microbial Functional Food Ingredients, 15. Fermented Functional Food, 16. Utilization of Dairy Industry Waste for Production of Value Added Functional Food Products to Combat Covid-19 Pandemic and Other Chronic Diseases, 17. Packaging of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.