Abstract
Consumer demand for products with health benefits beyond simple nutrition
is the market driver for nutraceuticals and functional foods. The development of these
products has been on the rise since the last decade as consumers became more aware of
the consequences of lifestyle diseases. This scenario has also benefited from the
growing economy, changing lifestyles and consumption patterns. Researchers and the
food industry are exploring novel sources of bioactive components and attention has
been given to underutilized grain proteins. This chapter aims to review the
incorporation of underutilized grains into nutraceuticals and functional foods. The
recent advances and challenges in food processing techniques to develop these products
are presented. Moreover, comprehensive details on the improvement of product
properties with the incorporation of underutilized grains, by means of nutritional,
techno-functional and bioactivity, as well as sensorial analysis are given. Finally, the
health promoting effects of peptides encrypted in the protein fraction of these grains
will be discussed.