Functional and Nutraceutical Properties of Herbals and Its Applications in Food

The lifestyles of people worldwide have changed in the last century due to a rise in income, reduced physical activity and preferring junk foods. Lack of time to show interests on preparation of nutri dense food products and improper selection, planning, consumption of foods in the regular diet are also the reason to face different health problems. Consequently, there is a global rise in the incidence of diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and rheumatoid arthritis. As a parallel development, there is a worldwide increase in health awareness and interest in herbal alternatives. Herbal foods have therefore emerged as an effective means for the prevention of diseases. This change in consumer outlook has encouraged the food industry to apply modern manufacturing technology in the preparation of food products. Herbs are an ancient source of flavorings, aromatic compounds and medicines, although only those that have culinary applications will be concealed in the study. The literature review focused primarily upon the compounds that give culinary herbs their health and functional properties.