Refrigeration technologies ensuring food security: scientific school of professor Valentina S. Kolodyaznaya. In memory of scientist and teacher

The paper is dedicated to the memory of the scientist and teacher, Doctor of Engineering, Professor Valentina S. Kolodyaznaya (1937–2023).

Preservation of quality, nutritional value, reduction of storage losses, increasing the shelf life of raw materials and food products by refrigeration is one of the main tasks of contemporary food technologies.

The article presents a review of long-term researches of Prof. Kolodyaznaya's scientific school on the use of refrigeration technologies to provide food security. The projects supervised by Valentina Kolodyaznaya involved designing of recipes for healthy food products, demonstrated the feasibility of process and storage parameters, created new types of packaging and barrier nanocoatings, allowing to preserve food products for a long time and ensure their high quality and safety. The research papers addressed a pressing national economic problem of reducing losses associated with microbial spoilage of food ingredients, developed freezing and low-temperature storage technologies, proposed biocontrol methods based on the study of microbial communities, and introduced technologies for comprehensive use of all types of both basic and side ingredients.

The paper presents an overview of some studies led by Valentina S. Kolodyaznaya. It is shown that the growth rate of indicator bacteria is much lower during storage of small-piece semi-finished veal products with different coatings, including solutions of organic acids and gelatin and chitosan; sodium alginate and chitosan guar and chitosan in different ratios and in polyethylene packaging.

The paper presents the studies of biofungicides, a set of biocontrol agents used to develop biopreparations reducing the pathogen load on plants during storage at low positive temperatures. Evaluation of antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic microorganisms of fruits and vegetables revealed that some pseudomonad strains (RF13H, RF14J, RM14B, RF12C) have biocontrol and adaptive properties characterised by metabolic and protective activity.

Various methods of freezing plants in air medium, liquid coolants, and vapour nitrogen medium at different temperatures were studied under the supervision of Professor Kolodyaznaya, including studies of partial dehydration by microwave vacuum dehydration and freezing of garden strawberries, blackcurrants, and chokeberries.

Graduates of Kolodyaznaya scientific school continue to work both in research and educational centres and large Russian and foreign industrial companies.