Preface

This book primarily focuses on the usage and application of plant- and animal-based food products with significant functional properties and health benefits as well as their utilization in the development of processed food products. Many chapters focused in this book contain overviews on superfood and functional food from South America. It is common knowledge that there are many underutilized and undiscovered phytochemicals and, thereby, phytonu‐ trients in this part of the world. Through these chapters, it is hoped that the readers would be able to obtain knowledge and information on some plant-based functional food products from South America, specifically Chile and Brazil.

It is of value and importance that details on the functional properties of apiculture products are also included in this book. Bee products are gaining rapid interest and enthusiasm given the substantiation of their usage for various disease conditions through scientific means.

Additionally, an area that is not widely discussed in academia—pet food with functional properties—is also included in this book. It is established that many domestic animals ap‐ pear to be suffering from the same disease conditions as their human counterparts and, thus, remedying such conditions is rapidly gaining much interest as well.

While superfood and functional food appear to be a major topic of discussion on a global scale, the safety aspects of certain food products need to be evaluated as well. Additionally, given the global pandemic of obesity and the importance of weight management, the capa‐ bilities of superfood and functional food in mitigating obesity appear to be an area of inter‐ est. These two aspects are also covered through two chapters in the book.

It is hoped that this book will be of value to both scientific and nonscientific communities to make informed choices about food products with proven benefits and, thereby, partake in a global movement of remedying the disease conditions that appear to be of severe effect on the health and wellness. It is also recommended for readers to take a look at a related book, *Superfood and Functional Food – The Development of Superfoods and Their Roles as Medicine*.

> **Dr. Viduranga Waisundara** Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka

**Apiculture Products as Functional Food**

**Provisional chapter**
