Potential utilisation of vegetables and mushrooms as components of functional food

The importance of functional products on the world food market is increasing systematically. This has resulted from enhanced consumer awareness that health improvement may be attained through appropriate nutrition. Functional products are targeted to different groups of consumers who have increased nutrient requirements or are designed to improve specific functions of the organism. The market for functional food is also developing in Poland, but its growth rate is much slower than in other European countries. Moreover, knowledge on issues concerning functional food among Polish consumers is also low. Vegetables and mushrooms occupy an important position among functional food products due to their contents of many bioactive components that have a beneficial effect on human health and sense of well being. Vegetables in an everyday diet are natural sources of dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, anthocyanin, carotenoids and substances with an anti-carcinogenic effect. The fruiting bodies of both cultivated and wild-growing mushrooms contain several active substances, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, specific proteins and phenolic compounds. Their positive effect for humans results from the interaction of different active components contained in their fruiting bodies. Several health-promoting properties of mushrooms have been documented, including anti-cancer, immunostimulatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-diabetic effects. Consumers should have knowledge on the potential for health improvement thanks to the inclusion of vegetables and mushrooms in their everyday diets.