| Abstract | Koncept funkcionalne hrane postaje sve popularniji te danas namirnice nisu namijenjene samo zadovoljavanju gladi i pružanju potrebnih nutrijenata, već i sprječavanju pojave i razvoja pojedinih bolesti te poboljšanju fizičkog i mentalnog zdravlja potrošača. Među važnijim predstavnicima funkcionalne hrane su voće i povrće, čaj, crno vino, ali i kakaovi proizvodi povišenog udjela kakaovih dijelova. Osim ovih prirodnih, nemodificiranih funkcionalnih proizvoda, isti se mogu proizvesti i obogaćivanjem bioaktivnim sastojcima koji prirodno nisu prisutni u proizvodu, kao što su prehrambena vlakna, vitamini, mineralne tvari ili ekstrakti biljnih vrsta. Cilj rada je ukazati na potencijal primjene ljekovitih biljnih vrsta u razvoju konditorskih proizvoda, kao posebice atraktivne skupine prehrambenih proizvoda među svim dobnim skupinama. U tu svrhu provedeno je i online anketno ispitivanje stanovnika Republike Hrvatske o poznavanju, konzumaciji i preferencijama vezanima uz ljekovite biljne vrste i konditorske proizvode obogaćene dodatkom biljnih vrsta. Rezultati anketa pokazali su da se najčešće konzumiraju kamilica, menta, bazga, kadulja i kopriva, i to u obliku biljnih infuzija. Nastojeći potvrditi tradicionalnu primjenu pojedinih biljnih vrsta, novija istraživanja usmjerena su na proučavanje njihovog kemijskog sastava i načina djelovanja. Uzimajući u obzir velik interes znanstvene zajednice te zavidno znanje i interes ispitanika za ljekovite biljke, vidljiv je veliki potencijal za proširenjem asortimana prehrambenih proizvoda s dodatkom istih. |
| Abstract (english) | The concept of functional food is becoming increasingly popular, and today the food is not only intended to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary nutrients, but also to prevent certain diseases and improve the physical and mental health of consumers. Among the most important representatives of functional foods are fruit and vegetables, tea, red wine, but also cocoa products with higher percentage of cocoa parts. Except for these natural, unmodified functional products, they can also be produced by enriching with bioactive ingredients that were not naturally present in the products, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, or plant species extracts. The aim of this paper is to point out the potential applications of medicinal plant species in the development of confectionery products, as a particularly attractive group of food products among all obtained age categories. For this purpose, it has been conducted an online survey of the population of the Republic of Croatia on knowledge, consumption and preferences related to medicinal plant species and on confectionery products enriched by the addition of medical plant species. The results of the questionnaire showed that the most consumed are chamomile, mint, elderberry, sage and nettle, mostly in the form of herbal infusions. Aiming to confirm the traditional application of certain plant species, recent researches are focused on examining their chemical composition and modes of action. Taking into account the great interest of the scientific community and the enviable knowledge and interest of the respondents for medicinal plant species, there is a great potential for expanding the range of food products with the addition of medical plant species. |
