Characterization of nutrient composition in functional foods

Abstract

Functional foods contain in their composition some biologically active substances that when added to a usual diet produce metabolic or physiological processes, resulting in disease risk reduction and health maintenance. Acai, green tea, quinoa, chia, flaxseed and goji berry are examples functional foods due to their health benefits. The concentrations of Br, Ca, Co, Cl, K, Fe, Mn, Mg, Na, Rb and Zn were determined in quinoa, chia and flaxseed samples by Neutron Activation Analysis. The obtained results were discussed using the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for essential elements provided by the Institute of the Medicine of National Academy and a comparison between the different functional foods was carried out.