Kombucha is a sweet and sour beverage made by fermenting a liquid base with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Different tea substrates, carbohydrate sources, and additional ingredients are used to create beverages with different physical and chemical characteristics. The purpose of this work was to create a recipe and technology to study the properties of the beverage based on kombucha with a given chemical composition. The content of added functional ingredients (vitamins and inulin) in quantities comparable with reference daily intake was the specified parameter characterizing the distinctive features of the enriched beverages. For fermentation using symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast, a black tea infusion sweetened with sucrose was used as a substrate. The changes in the physicochemical characteristics of the fermented tea beverage base were evaluated. The dynamics of changes in pH, acidity, the content of mono- and disaccharides, ethanol, organic acids, polyphenolic compounds, and volatile organic substances were shown. The fermentation conditions were selected (pH up to 3.3 ± 0.3, at T = 25 ± 1 °C, process duration of 14 days) to obtain the beverage base. Strawberry and lime leaves were used as flavor and aroma ingredients, and vitamins with inulin were used as functional ingredients. Since the use of additional ingredients changed the finished beverage’s organoleptic profile and increased its content of organic acids, the final product’s physical–chemical properties, antioxidant activity, and organoleptic indicators were assessed. The content of B vitamins in the beverages ranges from 29 to 44% of RDI, and 100% of RDI for inulin, which allows it to be attributed to the category of enriched products. The DPPH inhibitory activity of the beverages was 82.0 ± 7%, and the ethanol content did not exceed 0.43%. The beverages contained a variety of organic acids: lactic (43.80 ± 4.82 mg/100 mL), acetic (205.00 ± 16.40 mg/100 mL), tartaric (2.00 ± 0.14 mg/100 mL), citric (65.10 ± 5.86 mg/100 mL), and malic (45.50 ± 6.37 mg/100 mL). The technology was developed using pilot equipment to produce fermented kombucha tea enriched with inulin and B vitamins.

Beeswax and beeswax hydrocarbon-based oleogels were studied to evaluate the quantitative relationship between their yield strength and crystal size distribution. With this aim, oleogels were prepared using four different cooling regimes to obtain different crystal size distributions. The microstructure was evaluated by polarized light microscopy. The yield strength is measured by the cone penetration test. Oleogels were characterized by average grain size, microstructure entropy, grain boundary energy per unit volume, and microstructure temperature. We have provided the theoretical basis for interpreting the microstructure and evaluating the microstructure-based hardening of oleogels. It is shown that the microstructure entropy might be used to predict the yield strength of oleogels by the Hall-Petch relationship.

Специализированные пищевые продукты для диетической коррекции рациона больных с неалкогольным стеатогепатитом

The development of plant-based meat substitutes is imperative for reducing animal fat intake and promoting dietary diversification. However, the flavor profiles of these products frequently fall short of consumer expectations. This study sought to optimize the production process of meat flavorings for plant-based products using the Taguchi method. The study investigated the effects of sugar type, concentration, and reaction temperature on the Maillard reaction products, sensory characteristics, and volatile organic compounds. The thermal process flavors were obtained from the flavor precursor by heating in a laboratory microwave station at 30 bar for 15 min. The variable factors were the type of sugar (fructose, glucose, xylose), its concentration (25, 50, and 100 mM), and the temperature of the reaction (140, 150, and 160 °C). The study’s findings indicated that temperature emerged as the predominant factor influencing the formation of Maillard reaction products and the sensory characteristics of the flavorings. Specifically, 25 mM xylose-based flavorings prepared at 140 °C demonstrated the most notable meat flavor and the highest level of acceptability. Moreover, the analysis of volatile organic compounds revealed the presence of a diverse array of substances, including aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols, that are characteristic of meat flavor. A heat map of the volatile content was constructed to facilitate a comparison of the samples. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the Taguchi method in optimizing the production process of meat flavorings for plant-based products and provides valuable insights for the development of more balanced odor profiles.

The available scientific literature, domestic and international regulatory codes of normative documents concerning the fortification of various types of food products have been analyzed. The groups of food products of conventional and regular consumption included into the diets of all categories of consumers, recommended for fortification with essential micronutrients, have been determined: wheat and cereal flour (spelt wheat, buckwheat, oat, corn flour, etc.); pastry; milk and dairy products, including ice cream; non-alcoholic soft drinks; mineralized drinking water; fruit and vegetable juices; fat and oil products (vegetable oils, margarines, spreads, mayonnaise); confectionery and sweets (pastry, sugar, chocolate); cereals (breakfast cereals, muesli, ready-to-eat extruded cereals, instant pasta and cereals, mixtures for bakery, flour for sweet pastry); food concentrates (jelly, instant drinks, concentrates of sweet foods, instant food, instant cereal concentrates); table salt. The groups of food products assigned for certain categories of population are used as part of therapeutic diets for patients with various diseases (metabolic disorder syndrome, cardio-vascular system pathology with atherosclerotic vascular injury, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal tract diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetic nephropathy, etc.), as well as assigned to reduce the risk of diseases developing, the nutrients are recommended for targeted fortification of certain types of food. Examples of micronutrients fortification of sausages and minced meat semifinished products are given below. Requirements for fortification of mass consumption food products and for fortification of foods for special dietary uses are formulated in this article, the amount of fortifying components in the various groups of food products are justified, ensuring their efficiency for improving the micronutrient status and safety of its consumption. Based on the analysis of the available scientific literature, domestic and international regulatory framework of normative documents on fortification of various types of food products, recommendations have been developed for fortification of food with micronutrients.

Оценка эффективности использования специализированного пищевого продукта в составе диетотерапии пациентов с неалкогольным стеатогепатитом