FAISALABAD – Under a Pakistan-US joint project, a Functional and Nutraceutical Food Research Section has been established at National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
The plan is aimed to explore food bioactive molecules from indigenous sources and to determine their beneficial effects on the human body and to further gear up the research in the new concept of “Designer Foods”. In it, healthy functional and nutraceutical ingredients are incorporated to attenuate various lifestyle related disorders.
Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, who is leading this project as Principal Investigator, has appreciated the role of the Higher Education Commission for financial assistance. Dr Butt said that his research team was involved in exploring and evaluating the beneficial effects of the food components against different lifestyle related disorders like hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia.
He further said that the project had been extended to further study the effects of these ingredients against cancer proliferation. For the purpose, a cell culture lab is going to be established soon in this section to conduct research experiments on anticancer potential of the different food components.
He said that food is essential for sustaining life which plays an important role in growth, maintenance and development of the human body. Apart from providing essential nutrients, food provides some extra functional ingredients which play a vital role in the sustainable healthy life by protecting the body from various ailments.
He said that such investigations on the designer food bioactive moieties will provide sufficient evidences on the healthful effects of the different foods to combat the lifestyle related disorders. Food, then, will cover the full meaning of the slogan “Diet based therapy”.