Molecular annotation of food – Towards personalized diet and precision health

• Published in: Trends in food science & technology Vol. 91; pp. 675 - 680
• Main Authors: Gan, Junai, Siegel, Justin B., German, J. Bruce
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Analytics; Annotations; Artificial intelligence; Biological properties; Biosensors; Chemical composition; Data; Data collection; Diet; Food; Food quality; Health; Management; Meals; Molecular property; Molecular structure; Organic chemistry; Personal health; Personalized nutrition; Raw materials; Personalized nutrition; Data; Diet; Health; Molecular property; Food
• ISSN: 0924-2244; 1879-3053
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2019.07.016

Personalized diet requires matching human genotypic and phenotypic features to foods that increase the chance of achieving a desired physiological health outcome. New insights and technologies will help to decipher the intricacies of diet-health relationships and create opportunities for breakthroughs in dietary interventions for personal health management. This article describes the scientific progress towards personalized diet and points out the need for integrating high-quality data on food. A framework for molecular annotation of food is presented, focusing on what aspects should be measured and how these measures relate to health. Strategies of applying trending technologies to improve personalized diet and health are discussed, highlighting challenges and opportunities for transforming data into insights and actions. The goal of personalized diet is to enable individuals and caregivers to make informed dietary decisions for targeted health management. Achieving this goal requires a better understanding of how molecular properties of food influence individual eating behavior and health outcomes. Annotating food at a molecular level encompasses characterizing its chemical composition and modifications, physicochemical structure, and biological properties. Features of molecular properties in the food annotation framework are applicable to varied conditions and processes from raw materials to meals. Applications of trending technologies, such as omics techniques, wearable biosensors, and artificial intelligence, will support data collection, data analytics, and personalized dietary actions for targeted health management. •Scientific and technological advances accelerate progress towards precision health.•Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics capture individual variations.•The complexity of diet and food is not fully recognized.•A framework for annotating molecular properties of food is presented.•Trending technologies can be applied to personalized diet and health management.