Current State of Research on Health-Promoting Functional Properties in Berry-Based Foods.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to consolidate recent findings on the development and functional validation of berry-based foods while proposing guidelines for future advancements.

RECENT FINDINGS

Current investigations on berry-based functional foods (dairy and bakery products, snacks, etc.) emphasize their potential health benefits, including antioxidant effects, glycemic control, enzyme modulation, among others. Although there is valuable information on the capacity of berry-derived food products to confer health benefits, only 10% of the reviewed publications reached the final validation stage of the formulated product through in vivo assays. The analyzed publications were classified according to the approach used to study the functional potential of the developed berry-based products, considering simple spectrophotometric analysis, in vitro biological studies, and in vivo studies. Guidelines for a successful development of berry-based health enhancing foods were presented. Future research should include functional validation of final food products and confirm their bioactivity through in vivo studies.