Archives
Innovation in the Food Industry: Personalised nutrition and mass customisation
Mike Boland
Riddet Centre, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract
Human beings are not created equal, at least in terms of nutritional needs. Nutritional needs are dictated by a mixture of genetics, epigenetics, personal history and lifestyle. Obvious cases of genetically-based or genetically-predisposed special nutritional needs are well known; insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetes mellitus and phenylketonuria being good examples.
Other special dietary needs are of less clear origin, but disorders such as coeliac disease, irritable bowel disease and lactose intolerance are becoming widely recognised as having strong genetic components.
Additionally, there is emerging evidence of individually different responses in fat metabolism in individuals, leading to differences in lipoprotein profiles (HDL and LDL – indicators of heart health) in response to diet. Some lifestyles also give rise to special dietary requirements. This is particularly noted for athletes, who often have very specific nutritional advice. All of these examples are exceptional, relating to specific metabolic disorders or extreme lifestyle needs, with quite specific goals.
This paper is concerned with an emerging trend towards personalised nutrition becoming mainstream in affluent society, with a goal of general good health, and the potential for mass customisation to provide personalised nutrition on a wide front.
Keywords
nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics, personalised nutrition, mass customisation, Maslow, individual choice
References
Adams D (1980) The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Pan Macmillan: London.
Boland MJ (2006) Mass customisation of food. Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture 86: 7–9.
Boland MJ, Munro PA, Haylock SJ, James ADL, Thompson AK and Archer R (2005) Customised Nutritional Food and Beverage Dispensing System. PCT Patent WO2005111955.
Challem J and McCully KS (2005) Feed Your Genes Right: Eat to turn off disease-causing genes and slow down aging. John Wiley: New York.
Davis SM (1987) Future Perfect. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Frey T (2006) The Future of Libraries: Beginning the great transformation. Da Vinci Institute, Retrieved March 28 2008 from http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=120.
German JB, Yeretzian C and Watzke HJ (2004) Personalizing foods for health and preference. Food Technology 58: 26−31.
Joost H-G, Gibney MJ, Cashman KD, Gorman U, Hesketh JE, Mueller M, van Ommen B, Williams CM and Mathers JC (2007) Personalised nutrition: status and perspectives. British Journal of Nutrition 98: 26–31.
Maslow A (1943) A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 50: 370−396.
Maslow A and Lowery R (1998) Toward a Psychology of Being 3rd edn. Wiley: New York.
Oliver D (2005) The Future of Nutrigenomics, Institute for the Future report SR–889.
Ordovas J (2004) The quest for cardiovascular health in the genomic era: nutrigenetics and plasma lipoproteins. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 63: 145–152.
Ordovas J (2007) Nutritional genomic testing, Clinical Laboratory News 33: 6–8.
Ordovas J, Corella D, Cupples LA, Demissie S, Kelleher A, Coltell O, Wilson PWF, Schaefer EJ and Tucker K (2002) Polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate the effects of the APOA1 G-A polymorphism on HDL-cholesterol concentrations in a sex-specific manner: The Framingham study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 75: 38–46.
Parada J and Aguilera JM (2007) Food microstructure affects the bioavailability of several nutrients. Journal of Food Science 72: R21–R32.
Pine BJ (1988) Mass Customization: The new frontier of business competition. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA.
Pine BJ and Gilmore JH (1999) The Experience Economy, Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA.
Toffler A (1980) The Third Wave. William Morrow: New York.
eContent Home