ABSTRACT
It is well known that optimal health could be realized only through adequate intakes of nutrients. Developments in the area of human nutrition in the twentieth century led to identi cation, isolation, and puri cation of many nutrients. Most foods may be de cient in one or more nutrients. Sometimes nutrients, which are present in original food material, may be partially or fully lost as a result of processing, storage, packaging, and handling. The modern food processing technology is aware of the possibility of loss of nutrients at various stages of processing and therefore takes necessary steps to minimize such losses. In view of consumer interests in nutrition, a major area of modern food technology is related to formulation and designing of foods to achieve speci c nutritional quality objectives.1,2
Regulatory agencies the world over provide appropriate guidelines on intake of nutrients for the purpose of maintenance of public health. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are advisory notes from regulatory agencies for healthcare professionals and consumers on requirements of adequate nutrient contents in diet, with a view to meet the nutritional needs. These guidelines can address the relevant public health concerns regarding whether they are related to dietary insuf ciency or are in excess. The establishment of FBDGs is a key strategy to reach the nutritional goals of a population and an important tool in national food and nutrition policy development. These guidelines aim to promote general nutritional well-being as well as to prevent and control both ends of the spectrum of malnutrition: under and overnutrition.2,3 In 1997, the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences issued new guidelines for nutrients now known as dietary reference intakes (DRIs). These new values were designed to address both serious vitamin and mineral de ciencies and daily intakes that promote good health.4,5 The recommended daily allowances (RDAs) were developed by the Food and Nutrition Board to serve as the benchmark of nutritional adequacy in the United States as the minimum values needed to avoid serious disease. The RDA for protein for U.S. men aged 19-24 is 58 g and for women of the same age group is 49 g. The recommendation for fat is 30% or less of total energy required. Over the years, the RDAs have undergone modi cation as the safe upper levels of micronutrients so that consumers can ingest these substances
at levels that prevent de ciency and the pathogenesis of chronic disease but avoid intakes that could have problematic effects. Scienti c knowledge regarding the roles of nutrients in addressing classical nutritional de ciency diseases (such as rickets) and to the reduction of risks of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease expanded dramatically since the inception of the RDAs.6,7 On November 9, 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) published a draft guideline for the food industry, entitled “Substantiation for Dietary Supplement Claims Made under Section 403(r)(6),” which is intended to describe the amount, type, and quality of evidence a manufacturer has to substantiate a claim under the Section of the Act (see Appendix).
