Along with thermal methods of processing plant raw materials, non-thermal processing methods have been actively developed in recent decades, which make it possible to preserve the qualitative characteristics of the initial raw materials to the maximum and increase the shelf life of the finished product. When using these methods, slight heating of the product can occur, for example, as in the processing by ultraviolet radiation (UVR). In the case of using such a type of processing as filtration, heating is completely absent; under the conditions of high pressure processing of the product (hereinafter HPP), a low temperature regime is observed. These methods are distinguished by minimizing the impact on the organoleptic characteristics of the finished product (texture, appearance, color, odor), as well as the preservation of micro- and macronutrients. The article discusses the main non-thermal methods of processing plant materials: high pressure (HPP), processing in a pulsed electric field (PEF), radioactive radiation, ultraviolet radiation (UVR), filtration. The advantages and factors hindering their widespread use on an industrial scale are noted. It is noted that high pressure, ultraviolet radiation and filtration to one degree or another are widely used in food production, while processing in a pulsed electric field and radioactive radiation are of extremely limited use due to the need to ensure the safety of processing for service  personnel. It should also be noted that processing only by non-thermal methods leads to a limited shelf life of finished products and often requires lower storage temperatures. If it is necessary to increase the shelf life, it makes sense to combine thermal and non-thermal processing methods, for example, microfiltration (ultrafiltration) of juice, bottling into consumer packaging, gentle pasteurization. The undoubted advantage of this combination can be a reduction in the thermal load on a product, since the initial microbiological contamination is reduced by filtration. And, as a result, we get a stably stored product with minimal quality loss and preserved native potential.

Products of the polymer industry, the lion's share of which is food packaging, create a significant threat to the environment, which requires a search for the most effective and functional solutions to this problem. Every year, the production of polymer packaging is growing by an average of 10-12%, and last year, due to the worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and its strains, the increase was more than 20%. A solution to the environmental problem is possible using the main basic approaches: disposal and recycling of waste, which will give the possibility of the “second life” to already used polymers; development and creation of new biodegradable materials capable of degrading completely under the influence of external factors into relatively safer substances. However, it should be noted that the first method has a number of significant drawbacks associated with the difficulty in controlling the amount of recycling processes carried out, which can potentially lead to an increase in migration processes from polymeric materials. The second way to solve the environmental problem of packaging disposal and recycling is the direction associated with the creation of polymeric materials with the replacement of part of the traditional commercial synthetic bases with organic and inorganic fillers in various concentrations. However, the most promising way to handle packaging waste, in our opinion, is the development of technologies aimed at creating fully biodegradable materials with a regulated service life, which, after their life cycle, are disposed of in a short time without harming the environment. This review is devoted to the analysis of the market of modern biodegradable materials and methods for obtaining degradable compositions that can become a significant alternative to traditional plastics.

Polycomponent bran obtained by joint grinding of a grain mixture from cereals (wheat), legumes (lentils) and oilseeds (flax) should be considered as a valuable secondary raw material, the use of which for deep processing will make it possible to obtain various food and feed ingredients. An assessment of the carbohydrate-amylase and lipid complexes of the three variants of multicomponent bran showed that the ratio of amylose and amylopectin in the starch of three-component bran is almost the same, however, in lentil-flax bran, the proportion of amylose is 1.6 times higher than in the first two variants. The specific activity of amylases in three-component bran is about 2 times higher than in lentil-flax bran. In addition, the latter are characterized by a higher content of reducing sugars and fiber. The molecular weight of amylases isolated from three-component bran, according to gel chromatography, was: α-amylase — 40,000 Da; β-amylase — 60,000 Da. It has been established that the addition of flax seeds to the grinding mixture significantly increases the fat content in bran 6.4; 6.0 and 12.9%. The fatty acid composition of the studied bristles is characterized by the predominance of unsaturated fatty acids. At the same time, the ratio of essential acids — linoleic acid (ɷ‑6) to α-linolenic acid (ɷ‑3) in favor of the most deficient α-linolenic acid — was typical for lentil-flax bran and amounted to 1:4.2. The activity of alkaline lipases, which exhibit their effect at pH 8.0 (mainly cereal lipases), and acid lipases (mainly oilseed lipases) with an optimum of action at pH 4.7 in three-component bran samples are approximately the same, and lentil-flax bran is characterized by a high specific acid lipase activity, which is approximately 4.2 times higher than the activity of acid lipases of three-component bran. The data obtained, along with data on the characteristics of the protein-proteinase complex of the studied types of bran, will be used in the development of methods for enzymatic modification (deep processing) and in the preparation of components for the creation of new food products with increased nutritional and biological value.

Yogurt is one of the most common fermented milk products. It is consumed directly as food or used for the production of fermented milk desserts and ice cream. The urgent task for yogurt producers is improving product quality due to additionally introduced protein components. In this study, an effect of protein isolates and concentrates on the rheological parameters of yogurt was evaluated. The methods included the determination of dynamic viscosity and texture indices, such as hardness, gumminess, chewiness, springiness, cohesiveness and adhesiveness. The prepared yogurt samples were investigated immediately and after 30 days of storage at a temperature of 4±2°C. The water-holding capacity was evaluated. It has been established that introduction of whey proteins makes it possible to increase the water-holding capacity to 77% and 80%, respectively. The highest value of dynamic viscosity (19.3 and 26.1 Pa·s) was found in the samples with isolate and concentrate of native whey proteins after 5 hours of fermentation. A decrease in dynamic viscosity with the introduction of milk protein isolate, soy protein concentrate and native whey protein isolate was observed after 5 hours of fermentation. Addition of the protein components led to a significant increase in texture indices, except for cohesiveness. The highest cohesiveness value of 0.4 N·s was found in the sample without protein components and in the sample with whey protein concentrate. The indicators of hardness, gumminess, chewiness, springiness and adhesiveness were the highest in the sample with native whey protein isolate.

The transformation of milk into cheese occurs under the influence of many physicochemical, biochemical and microbiological processes, among which proteolysis plays a very important role. Proteolysis belongs to the most complex type of irreversible post-translational modification of proteins. Enzymatic proteolysis catalysts at different stages of cheese production are native milk enzymes, exo- and endopeptidases of starter and non-starter microorganisms, and milk-clotting enzymes. The article presents a brief overview of modern ideas about the properties, mechanism of action and specificity of the main representatives of enzymes that hydrolyze milk proteins at the stages of preparing milk for coagulation, during rennet coagulation and subsequent maturation of cheeses. These include the plasmin system of milk, enzymes of psychrotrophic bacteria and lactic acid microorganisms that enter milk both accidentally (non-starter microflora) and planned in the form of starter cultures from specially selected strains. Milk-clotting enzymes, having fulfilled their main function — milk coagulation — partially pass into cheese and, along with enzymes of starter microorganisms and plasmin, participate in proteolytic processes during cheese ripening. It is generally accepted that proteolysis in ripening cheeses is the most significant biochemical process that affects the formation of taste, aroma and texture along with lipolysis and glycolysis. The combination of proteolysis products (peptides, amino acids, amines, etc.) is individual for different types of cheese and varies depending on the technological parameters of production, including the duration of maturation. Proteolysis in cheeses has been studied by many scientists in various aspects. This review supplements the known information with new information, without claiming to be comprehensive.

The paper shows the use of the methods of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in a range of 400–1000 nm and multivariate analysis for sorting Hass avocado fruits. The decomposition of the data matrix of HSIs of avocado fruits was carried out using the principle component analysis. The reflection bands in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions interrelated with the process of maturation and the moisture content of avocado fruits were revealed. It has been established that visualization upon avocado inline sorting by moisture is possible when using factor loadings as pseudo-color. Calibration models for determination of moisture and dry matter of avocado fruits were built based on the data of moisture measurement and hyperspectral images. The matrix of spectral data was formed by two methods: random selection of spectral signatures of HSIs from the whole surface of fruits or the image surface of HSIs of fruits (initial HSIs) as a region of interest (ROI). Based on the data of moisture measurement and selection of spectral signatures of hyperspectral images, calibration models were built for detection of moisture and dry matter of avocado fruits. Using sequential simulation by the projection to latent structures (PLS) method, accurate calibration models were developed to detect moisture (R_P² = 0.89) and dry matter (R_P² = 0.92) in the composition of avocado fruits. When building calibration models by the initial HSIs, models were obtained to predict moisture (R_С² = 0.99) and dry matter (R_С² = 0.99) in the composition of avocado fruits. It is proposed to use calibration models by the initial HSIs to determine moisture and dry matter in the intervals of the acceptable values according to the acting standard UNECE STANDARD FFV-42:2019.

This research aimed to replace wheat flour with potato peel powder (PPP) at different levels (3, 5, 7, 10, 30, and 50%). An effect of PPP on physical, chemical, rheological, and antioxidant properties of biscuit samples was investigated. The results show that the PPP sample had a significantly higher content of total sugar, protein and ash, and a lower content of moisture (15.68g/100g dry weight, 15.32 g/100g dry weight, 9.11%, 8.35%, respectively) compared with the wheat flour sample. Also, a higher total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (71.12 mg Gallic acid equivalent / 100g dry weight and 68.39%, respectively) was observed in the PPP sample. The highest percentage of PPP addition (50%) exerted the greatest significant effect on the content of total sugar, protein, moisture, ash, total phenols, and antioxidant activity compared with the control sample and other biscuit samples leading to their increase to 50.90 g/100g dry weight, 12.74 g/100g dry weight, 5.56%, 2.39%, 41.71 mg Gallic acid equivalent / 100g dry weight, 59.72%, respectively. A decrease in the L*, a*, b*, C*, h and BI values, and an increase in ∆E values were observed with replacing wheat flour with PPP. The 3% and 5% replacement rates contributed to improving most organoleptic characteristics (general acceptability, color, taste) compared to the samples with the highest studied percentages (30% and 50%). Although the highest percentages of PPP addition led to lower scores for sensory characteristics, all studied samples were acceptable from the sensory point of view, except the samples with the 50% replacement rate in terms of their taste and color.

The design of a human personalized diet considering a variety of different factors is associated with system analysis and formalization of data and knowledge, as well as with the development of digital technologies. The paper presents the methodology of optimization and formation of personalized diets based on structural-parametric modeling. The proposed approach allows solving the following tasks: 1)  to analyze the daily diet or individual meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, additional meals or snacks) with a known quantitative set of finished products in terms of energy value and chemical composition in order to reveal dietary disorders; 2)  to calculate quantity of products optimal for a meal from the fixed list, thereby composing an individual reference diet with regard to the mental and physical activities, nutritive status of a consumer and economic aspects; 3) to optimize a diet depending on the task at hand by selecting a group of finished products from a complete or selected list of archival data, equally taking into account all the necessary parameters; 4) to adjust the diet taking into account dietary deviations in certain parameters of the chemical composition and energy value by additional introduction of special purpose products with the increased biological value, multivitamin and multivitamin-mineral supplements, as well as natural bioactive substances.

The article presents the results of a study of the quality indicators of semi-hard cheeses produced from defrosted goat’s milk. Natural and defrosted goat’s milk, semi-hard cheeses with a low temperature of the second heating were used as objects of research. Studies of defrosted goat’s milk were carried out after 6±1 days of its storage at a temperature of minus 18°C and subsequent defrosting at a temperature of 37±2°C for 60 minutes; natural goat’s milk — after storage for 24±12 hours at a temperature of 4±2°C. It was found that milk freezing and its subsequent defrosting did not affect the chemical composition of milk and the total content of microorganisms, but the number of somatic cells decreased. Cheeses were produced according to the traditional technological scheme of semi-hard cheese using a bulk mesophilic-thermophilic bacterial starter culture. There was no significant effect of the freezing process of goat’s milk on its technological properties: the duration of curd formation in both variants was (30±1) min, the duration of processing of cheese grain was (90±2) min. The level of syneresis was (55±2)% in the control, (55±6)% — in the test versions and was in the range of error of the method. The degree of transition of dry matter to whey was: in the control — (7.26±0.21)%, in the test — (7.21±0.32)%. It was found that there were no differences in the degree of proteolysis in cheeses during ripening. The values of the acidity the content of available fat in the cheeses of both variants was comparable. The organoleptic characteristics of cheeses at the standard age of 60 days had similar characteristics, both in terms of the degree of intensity of the cheese taste, and in the taste notes of “zest” and “spice”, typical of goat’s milk cheeses. The cheese texture of both variants was characterized as “homogeneous, moderately dense”. It has been established that the process of freezing goat’s milk does not reduce its cheese properties and the qualitative characteristics of the semi-hard cheese produced from it.

Anthocyanins and polyphenols are the main biologically active substances in elderberry. Extraction methods exert a significant effect on the extraction effectiveness, bioavailability and preservation of biologically active compounds. The aim of this work was a review of the published results of scientific studies of elderberry and products of its processing, their effect on the body, as well as examination of methods for extraction and encapsulation of biologically active substances of elderberry. The review includes papers in English and Russian. A search for foreign literature in English on this theme was carried out in the bibliographic databases Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, Elsevier, ResearchGate. To select scientific papers in Russian, a search was done in the scientific electronic library eLIBRARY.RU by keywords. The review of the scientific publications shows that the results of numerous studies confirm the high antioxidant activity of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.), as well as wild elderberry (Sambucus ebulus), growing on the territory of the Belarus Republic and in other countries of Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America. This plant is applied in the traditional medicine and is used in the food industry as raw materials for creation of prophylactic and functional products due to the presence in the chemical composition of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) of bioactive flavonoids such as quercetin, kempherol and rutin, and other phenolic compounds. Bioactive compounds of elderberry possess several unique biological and pharmacological properties including the antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-depressive, anti-diabetic, antiviral and antibacterial activities. To extract bioactive substances from elderberry, traditional extraction methods are used, such as maceration and Soxhlet extraction, as well as modern promising “green” technologies (for example, supercritical fluids, pulsed electric field, emulsion liquid extraction, microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extraction). To preserve and protect biologically active substances in elderberry, encapsulation methods that are most effective are employed. The materials of this paper can be used in future studies on optimization of extraction processes to increase the nutritional value and antioxidant activity of new functional foods, food additives and products of pharmaceutical industry.

Aspartame and acesulfame potassium are among the best known food sweeteners. Despite numerous studies showing the safety of these supplements, in recent years the attention of researchers has been focused on the negative side effects of their exposure, which can lead to the development of non-communicable diseases. The aim of this investigation was to study the nature of the impact (reversible or irreversible) of aspartame and acesulfame potassium on weight gain, as well as cytological, cytogenetic and metabolic parameters of onion roots. Roots were pre-treated with 0.5 and 1 g/l aqueous solutions of sweeteners, and then they were transferred to water for the purpose of further regenerative germination. The consequences of the toxic effect of aspartame on the weight gain of onion roots were minimal compared to the control. This indicator significantly and dose-dependently decreased to 38% in the samples with acesulfame potassium, which shows the presence of a delayed effect after exposure to this sweetener. In the experimental groups with the maximum content of sweeteners, a lower mitotic index (p≤0.05) in the meristem cells was also maintained compared to the control. The results obtained indicated an irreversible mitotoxic effect of these compounds. However, an increase in the frequency of mitosis pathologies found in the experimental samples due to pre-treatment with sweeteners was completely leveled after regenerative germination. Therefore, these genotoxic disorders were reversible. To assess the processes of lipid oxidation of root tissues, the concentration of malondialdehyde was measured. The effect of reducing the level of this indicator in all experimental samples compared with the control turned out to be irreversible, although not dose-dependent. The results obtained can be used in the development of formulations for adding food sweeteners to food products to reduce the risk of delayed toxic effects.

The effect of milk-clotting enzymes (MCEs) of animal origin (Naturen Extra with a mass fraction of chymosins of 95%, “Bovine Pepsin” with a mass fraction of chymosin of 10%), as well as MCEs of microbial origin (Fromase 750 XLG) and recombinant origin (Chy-max Extra and Chy-max Supreme) on the duration of milk coagulation and processing of cheese curd, as well as on the composition of whey and fresh cheeses in the manufacture of semihard cheeses, at an introduction dose of MCE of 1,500 to 6,000 IMCU per 100 kg of milk. Increasing the MCE dose from 1,500 to 2,000–3,000 IMCU/100 kg of milk leads to a decrease in the coagulation duration by an average of 20 min (p<0.05). A further increase in the MCE dose to 5,000–6,000 IMCU/100 kg of milk does not lead to a reduction in the coagulation duration. With equal introduction doses, MCE brands of Fromase and “Pepsin” show greater losses of fat (by 0.15–0.60%) and dry matter (by 0.30–0.50%) in whey than MCEs of Naturen brands, Chymax Extra and Chy-max Supreme. Cheese variants made using different types and doses of MCEs did not have statistically accurate differences in the content of dry matter, fat, protein, salt and pH (p>0.05). The use of MCEs of Naturen, Chy-max Extra and Chy-max Supreme brands at a dosage of 5,000–6,000 IMCU/100 kg of milk gives an average of 1.5% higher actual cheese yield compared to MCEs of the Fromase and “Pepsin” brands at an introduction dose of 1500 IMCU/100 kg of milk.

Fruit and vegetable raw materials and processed products contain dietary fibers and biologically active substances, so the use of such raw materials in the manufacture of foods increases their nutritional value. In addition, dietary fibers of fruit and vegetable raw materials can influence the technological properties of food systems. The purpose of this work is determination of the amount of dietary fibers, pectins and the degree of their esterification in fruit and vegetable powders, as well as establishment of an impact of these parameters on the technological properties of confectionery glazes with the addition of fruit and vegetable powders (taking into account the ability of the latter to absorb fat). Objects of research are powders of carrots, apples, beets, raspberries and model samples of confectionery glazes with their addition. Rheological parameters of confectionery glazes were determined by the Casson method on a rotary viscometer. The content of dietary fibers was established by the enzymatic-gravimetric method. Pectins from powders were isolated by acid hydrolysis of raw materials followed by ethanol precipitation. A degree of esterification of pectins was calculated on the basis of the results obtained by potentiometric titration. It has been found that the studied fruit and vegetable powders from domestic raw materials were characterized by a high amount of dietary fibers (24–38%), the main part of which was represented by pectin. Beet and raspberry powders contained low esterified pectins (18 and 33 g/100 g); apple and carrot powders contained highly esterified pectins (16 and 27 g/100 g). Powders with low esterified pectins showed a moderate increase in the Casson yield strength of the glazes with their addition that did not exceed the optimal values of this indicator. With increasing concentrations of powders with highly esterified pectins, a sharp increase in the Casson yield strength of the glazes was observed. At concentrations of 13% and more, this indicator exceeded the optimal values. Thus, in the development of confectionery glazes with fruit and vegetable powders, prediction of their maximum concentration can be carried out by determining the content of dietary fibers, pectins and a degree of their esterification, as well as by taking into account pH and the ability of powders to absorb fat.