Phytochemicals and Functional Foods for Health

Functional foods are those that may offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value. Phytochemicals, including resveratrol in red wines, catechins in green tea, and beta-carotene in carrots, are health-promoting compounds that are popular in many functional foods. Our faculty's phytochemical and functional foods research investigates these health-promoting compounds in many foods, including berries, wine, cocoa, and honey.

Disciplines

Food Chemistry

salad, carrot, tomato and bottle of water icon

Health and Nutrition

Chemestry vials representing Food Chemestry

Microbiology

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Food Preservation

Food Processing and Packaging

Food Business

Featured Project

Milk protein shown to alleviate chemotherapy side effects could enhance patients’ recovery

Susan Duncan and Aili Wang from Virginia Tech’s Department of Food Science and Technology teamed up with a cross-disciplinary group of researchers to investigate the feasibility of lactoferrin, a highly bioactive protein found in saliva and milk, as a treatment for the smell and taste abnormality experienced by chemotherapy patients. Their findings could bring relief to millions of patients undergoing cancer treatment.

More About this Research

Faculty

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Amanda C. Stewart , bio
Associate Professor: Food and Beverage Fermentation
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Dennis Cladis , bio
Assistant Professor: Phytochemistry and Functional Foods
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Mario Ferruzzi , bio
Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Nutrition, Agriculture, Metabolism, Micronutrient and Phytochemical Bioavailability and their Impact on Human Health