The Food Functionality Center develops functional materials with health benefits to promote public health.

The center obtains promising key food technologies that may benefit public health in the future. We focus on researches related to food bio-materials and nutritional metabolic activity, specialized functional foods for the super aged society, health care models based on customized dietary plans and intestinal microbial activities, and functional materials with health effects.

Functional food materials Research Group

Major Research

• Identification of raw materials for functional foods, evaluation of bioactivity, and research on bioactive mechanisms and indicator ingredients
• Research on metabolic disease mitigation, and development of materials
• Research on relation between food and inflammation, allergic reaction, immunomodulation, and development of materials
• Development and commercialization of functional food materials to promote mental health
• Development and commercialization of food materials for the elderly and patients with special diseases
• Development and commercialization of food materials for skin care

Aging and Metabolism Research Group

Major Research

• Research on anti-aging effect of foods, using the omics technology
• Research on regulation of transcription factors related to biometabolism and interpretation of gene networks
• Research on aging mechanism of foods, based on the transgenic animal model
• Research on anti-aging mechanism of foods
• Research on food functionality
• Research on chemical cognition mechanism and regulatory functions of foods

Personalized Diet Research Group

Major Research

• Research on personalized dietary models for healthcare
• Research on correlation between foods, nutrients and health
• Research on relationship between foods and the epigenetic transformation of genome
• Establishment of an integrated information system for food, nutrition, health, and culture
• Research on characteristics of intestinal microbiome of Koreans and correlation with diet
• Research on mechanism regulating intestinal microbiome and intestinal homeostasis