Extracts and melanins from Inonotus obliquus are widely used in medicine due to their high antioxidant properties. This study is dedicated to define the influence of the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Inonotus obliquus melanins and their bifidogenic effects on Bifidobacterium bifidum 1 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. For this purpose, melanins precipitated from Inonotus obliquus aqueous extracts, obtained by a few methods, and separated melanin fractions by organic solvents were used. For the melanin physicochemical properties analysis spectrophotometry, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering methods were applied. Melanins and their fractions difference in particle size and charge, antioxidant properties, and redox potential were revealed. It was shown that the redox potential, the size of melanin particles and the z-potential had maximum influence on bifidobacteria growth. The greatest activating effect on bifidobacteria was established by using melanin isolated from aqueous microwave extracts in concentrations of 10⁻¹³, 10⁻¹⁰, 10⁻⁵ g/cm³. The use of this melanin with antioxidant activity 0.67 ± 0.06 mg/g (expressed as ascorbic acid equivalent), and with redox potential −5.51 ± 2.22 mV as a prebiotic allowed the growth of Bifidobacterium bifidum 1 s to increase by 1.4 times in comparison with ascorbic acid by 24 h of cultivation.

Oat grain is characterized by the presence of a number of biologically active substances that contribute to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract and maintain vascular health. Oat grains are used in diet food as they do not contain gluten. The germination of oat grains contributes to increasing the content of biologically active substances in it. The proposed method for producing cereal drinks based on oats includes the stages of washing the grains, disinfecting, germinating the grains, obtaining a liquid grain base, stabilizing the structure of the grain base, sterilization, adding flavoring components. The developed technology makes it possible to produce oat-based cereal drinks with a stable structure and improved organoleptic characteristics without additives and with vegetable additives, which are dried chokeberry meal (2 %) and rosehip syrup (16 %). The organoleptic characteristics of the drinks obtained correspond to the requirements of regulatory documentation. Drinks with herbal additives are superior to drinks without additives in taste, aroma, color and texture. The storage capacity of drinks established in the course of microbiological examination and analysis of viscosity and acidity is five days.