Concept of producing of the Russian national system of functional food

• Main Authors: Yu. V. Fotev, V. F. Pivovarov, A. M. Artemyeva, I. M. Kulikov, Y. K. Goncharova, А. I. Syso, N. P. Goncharov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2018-11-01
• Series: Vavilovskij Žurnal Genetiki i Selekcii
• Subjects: demography in russia; life expectancy; public health; functional food; breeding for nutritional quality; underutilized crops
• Online Access: https://vavilov.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/1712

Statistics show negative forecasts of the demographic indicators of the Russian population including their size and health. The human habitat which has been deteriorating in recent decades causes cardinal changes in the assortment and variety of food and significantly contributes to the reduction of their biological value. The depletion of food products (FP) of vegetable and animal origin in vital mineral elements, vitamins and other physiologically active components represents a serious long-term threat to human health and the national security. Industrial methods of enriching FP have certain limitations: a narrow set of micronutrients, their interaction among themselves and accessibility for not all groups of the population. One way to reduce the negative consequences is through the introduction and breeding of new for Russia species and varieties of agricultural plants and organize a mass production of functional foods (FF) that contribute to the prevention and/or suspension of the development of dangerous diseases and slowing down the aging process. The solution of this multifaceted problem lies in changing the consumption structure of foods and their chemical composition conditioned by both the assortment of grown plant species and cultivars of food plants, as well as the composition and quality of soils, fertilizers and the conditions for crop cultivation. Taking into account the prevailing demographic situation in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to create a comprehensive national program for the allocation of new high-content sources of FF ingredients based on traditional and underutilized crops, cultivars and forms of cereal, vegetable and fruit crops and their inclusion in agricultural production as well as existing and newly created technological processes in food industry. The advantages of creating and developing a national system of the functional food in Russia will be: the improvement of public health and life expectancy, the reduction of the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund expenditures and the development of business structures involved in the production of the FF.