Food Technological Applications for Optimal Nutrition: An Overview of Opportunities for the Food Industry Sedef Nehir El and Sebnem Simsek Abstract: An increasingly important determinant in food choice is the growing consumer concern about nutrition and health. This focusing of consumer interest on the food supply, and also extensive research and technological developments in food science will provide further opportunities for new product development. The Food-Based Dietary Guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU) legislation on health claims play an important role in regulating information to the public about a wholesome diet and for improving the availability and affordability of nutritious food choices to consumers. More specifically, the food industry can contribute by reducing the number of energy-dense products; by improving the nutrient profile of processed food through the reduction of salt, added sugar, trans-fatty acid, and saturated fat content. As a result, food science and technology are prompted to create a new framework for these food-based dietary guidelines, principally in the areas of food physics, methods of food storage and preservation, nutrient restoration and fortification of foods, and the development of health-focused designer foods and functional foods. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of some further opportunities for new product development and nutrition research. Some topics related to the energy reduction of foods include: dilution and structure design, carbohydrate and/or fat substitutes, and inhibition of enzymes in carbohydrate and/or fat digestion; additionally, regulation of some metabolic functions with food-derived bioactive peptides and probiotics, and enrichment of foods with bioactive compounds are reviewed in this overview as the most promising issues. Introduction In recent years, extensive scientific evidence has emerged in- dicating that dietary patterns have specific health or disease out- comes. The major causes of some specific diseases or morbidity and mortality in the world’s developed and developing countries are related to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle and eventually in- clude obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and certain cancers (WHO/FAO 2003). At the turn of the 21st century, the industrialized world faces new challenges, that is, an enormous increase in the costs of health care, longer life expectancy, improved scientific knowledge, development of new technologies, and major changes in lifestyles. This has led to the idea of “optimal nutrition.” Nutrition scientists want to rise to these new challenges and have embraced the idea of “optimal nutrition,” which can be defined as the optimization of a daily nutrition model with nutrients and bioactive compounds to pre- vent diseases as well as to protect a healthy life. This approach has emerged due to increases in the costs of disease treatment, increased loss of work, and the demand by consumers for a life with higher quality standards (Ashwell 2002). MS 20110584 Submitted 5/9/2011, Accepted 8/15/2011. Authors are with Food Engineering Dept., Ege Univ., Engineering Faculty, 35100 Izmir, Turkey. Direct inquiries to author El (E-mail: sedef.el@ege.edu.tr). Achieving optimal nutrition through the intake of healthy foods aims at optimizing the physiological functions of each human to ensure maximum well-being. New guidelines will have to be de- veloped concerning new foods that will become available. In this respect, food science and technology experts are creating a new framework for these food-based dietary recommendations, prin- cipally in the areas of food physics, methods of food storage and preservation, nutrient restoration, and fortification of foods, as well as the development of health-focused designer foods and functional foods (FAO/WHO 1996; USDA 2010). The WHO Regional Office for Europe has committed to supporting the im- plementation of the Second Action Plan by raising awareness and promoting political commitment to address food- and nutrition- related health. This plan aims to achieve some of the following health goals: to reduce the prevalence of diet-related diseases and to reverse the obesity trend in children and adolescents (WHO 2008). To achieve these health goals, population nutrition goals should be adopted in line with FAO/WHO recommendations: <10% of daily energy intake from saturated fatty acids, <1% of daily energy intake from trans fatty acids, <10% of daily energy intake from free sugars, ≥400 g fruits and vegetables a day, and <5 g a day of salt (WHO/FAO 2003). The food industry can be a significant player in promoting wholesome diets, physical activity, and new product development in line with dietary guidelines. Initiatives have been undertaken 2 Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety  Vol. 11, 2012 c  2011 Institute of Food Technologists ® doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2011.00167.x