Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds: Modern and Medieval Approaches

31st International Conference of FFC - 19th International Symposium of ASFFBC

September 29th - October 1st, 2023, Yerevan State University in Yerevan, Armenia, In-Person and Virtual/Live Online Event

Sessions and Topics:

Session 1: Definition of Functional Foods, classification and Regulation: Japan, USA, and EU

        a. How to define Healthy, Functional and Medical Foods: similarities and differences.

        b. How to create and bring to the market functional foods with bioactive compounds.

        c. The vision of Functional Food Center for the creation of Functional Food product.

d. The regulations, policy, and labeling of functional foods in Japan and other countries.

e. Classification of functional foods.

Session 2: Traditional Healthy Food and Medicine in Armenia

a. Food through history of men as a source of energy and its health benefits.

b. Food in Medieval Time to manage medical conditions and regular health.

c. Mkhitar Heratsi (12th-century Armenian physician) and Amirdovlat Amasiatsi (15th-century Armenian physician) and usage of Armenian traditional  food and medicine for the management of diseases.

d. "Narine" as a modern Armenian healthy food: A good candidate for functional food applications.

e.  Armenian fermented milk product "Choratan" and its influence on gut microbiota.

f. Other Armenian traditional foods and medicine for the management of diseases.

Session 3: Diet and Traditional Healthy Foods in Different Countries

a. Japanese traditional medicine (Kampo medicine) and traditional healthy food formulations/recipes.

b. Indian traditional healthy formulations (Ayurveda).

c. Greece and Italian traditional foods and healthy diet (Mediterranian Diet).

d.  Traditional medicine and healthy foods in different countries.

e. How to create new functional food products by using traditional medicines and traditional healthy foods?

Session 4: Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds for Viral Diseases

a. Nutritional support for fighting COVID-19.

b. Food bioactive compounds with potential against viral proteins of SARS-CoV-2.

c. Food for the gut in COVID-19 times.

d. Micronutrients responsible for the normal function of the immune system.

e. Functional foods and Mediterranean diet: an alternative source to combat viral infections, including COVID-19.

Session 5: Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds for the Management of Chronic Diseases

 a. Mental Disorders: Mechanism of bioactive molecules in improving mental disorders.

 b. Obesity: Molecular mechanisms of the anti-obesity effect of bioactive compounds in healthy and functional foods.

 c. Cardiovascular Disease: Food bioactive compounds In cardiovascular diseases.

 d. Diabetes: Bioactive compounds in diabetes care and prevention.

 e. Cancer: Anticancer activities of selected bioactive compounds.

 f. Other Chronic Diseases

Session 6: Diet and Functional Foods in Healthy Aging

 a. Current look and future predictions for aging demographic in the world.

 b. Aging and increased disease risk.

 c. Aging and increased health care expenditure.

 d. Potential for functional foods to contribute to healthy aging.

Session 7:  Discovery, Sources, Health Benefits, and Safety Aspects of Bioactive Compounds/Molecules

a.  Food bioactive compounds: molecules that can present therapeutic potential by reducing pro-inflammatory state, oxidative stress, and metabolic disorders.

b.  Discovery of bioactive compunds

c. Sources of bioactive compounds

c. Health benefits of bioactive compounds

        1. Bioactive Compounds and antioxidant activity in different fruits and vegetables.

        2. Bioactive Compounds and Inflammation.

        3. Therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds and their properties to reduce metabolic disorders.

d. Safety aspects of bioactive compounds.

Session 8: Functional Food and Health: A Paradigm Shift in Agriculture

        a. Connection between food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases.

        b. Food Security - all members of the population, can access enough food for healthy life.

        c. Nutrition Security - consistent access and affordability of healthy and functional foods. 

        d. Meat as a functional food: Concepts and breakthrough.

Session 9: Bioactive Compounds/Molecules, their occurrence in foods, and health-promoting properties

         a. Natural Bioactive Compounds: isolation and purification from biological materials.

         b. Determination of relevant bioactive compound(s) in functional foods

         c. Establishment of the appropriate dosage of bioactive compound(s) in functional foods

         d. Determination of the specific pathway and mechanism of action of bioactive compounds 

         b. New dairy bioactive compounds for Functional Food Products.

         c. Bioactive compounds developed from dairy proteins, oligosaccharides and plant dietary fiber.

         d. Novel bioactive prebiotic oligosaccharides from plant and animal sources.

         e. Bioactive compounds and their health-promoting properties.

Session 10: Functional Foods and Economics

 a. Functional foods market size and forecast.

 b. Economic aspects of functional foods.

 c. Market, regulatory, and agricultural economics studies.

Session 11: Nutrition and Gut Microbiota

         a. Functions of gut microbiota.

         b. Probiotics: Live bacterial biotherapeutics.

         c. Prebiotics: Nourishing probiotic preparations.

         d. Microbiome–gut–brain axis.

         e. Gut microbiota and disease management.

         i. Influence of diet on the gut microbiome.

Session 12: One Health Approach to Combat Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance 

a. Educate society (including medical personnel) about the antimicrobial resistance (AMR), improve hygiene measures, and reduce the risk of the emergence of the new resistant strain.
b. Historical data, understanding of the molecular basis of AMR and development of new mechanisms of resistance.
c. Develop new vaccines and alternatives to antimicrobials such as antibodies, probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, among others.
d. Build a global coalition for action against AMR and address it using One Health approach.
e. One health concept for radiation resistance 

**We are planning workshop on this section whcih will offer strategies for improving efficiency of "One Health Aproach" to build a global coalition for action against Antibiotic/Antimicrobial and Radiation Resistance.

Session 13:  Research and Development of New Functional Food Products for Chronic and Infectious Diseases and for General Health

        a. Incentives for functional and healthy food research and development.

        b. Consumer acceptance of healthy and functional food products.

        c. Functional food composition and dietary intake databases.

        d. Food vehicles for delivery bioactive compounds.

        e. Research, development and marketing of new healthy and functional food products.

        f. Evaluation of Functional Food Products by using Basic Principles of Functional Food Science.

*Please note: Extended Abstract Submission Deadline is: August 11th, 2023, 5PM PST