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.