Vitamins as Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Vitamins are the essential nutrients required for healthy survival of the body. These are broadly categorized into fat- (vitamin A, D, E, and K) and water-soluble (vitamin B and C) vitamins. Various studies suggest that multivitamins, fortified food, and nutraceutical products maintain essential bodily functions in disease prevention, management, and control. The chapter includes the unique characteristics and different forms of vitamins. This chapter also explores the absorption and factors affecting bioavailability of vitamins in the human body. Fortification of vitamins has gained significant attention as nutraceutical strategy for alleviating micronutrient deficiency. Various food processing techniques affect the availability of vitamins. The time and temperature of processing, product composition, and storage are all the factors that significantly impact the vitamin content in our food.