The course aims at giving the basic knowledge on functional foods, i.e. the food products having peculiar nutritional properties and which can positively influence the physiological wellbeing and human health. Moreover, information will be provided on the relationships occurring among host, gut microbiota and food.
The food pyramids. Classes of functional foods and specific health indications. International regulations of functional foods. Health claims of functional foods. Digestion of food components in humans. Scientific evidences of the relation between nutrition and health. The gut-brain axis. Microbiology of the gastro-intestinal tract. Ecological and methodological aspects of the characterization of bacterial communities.
The final examination will be both written and oral.
