Functional foods have been driven from a niche segment to a mainstream product by increasing health and wellness concerns world widely. Increasing by 8% per year, the total sales volume of functional foods is expected to reach US $167 billion till 2010 which is US $40 billion at the moment. Therefore, functional foods are identified as one of the central pillars for the future development of food industry internationally.
With more than 1.4 billion people, China has become an undeniable market for
functional food manufacturers. With more than 1.4 billion
people,