No 3 (2025)

Consumer information is a key factor for competent choice of goods. Upon absence of complete and precise information, consumers have difficulties in orienting in the conditions of the modern market and in buying products that meet their needs and expectations. Assessment of meat product labeling for the correspondence to technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union and standards was carried out within the framework of the international competition of food quality “Quality guarantee – 2024”. The paper presents analysis of the most common mistakes in meat product labeling in part of their naming, made-up names, composition and nutritional value.

Cerebrovascular diseases, in particular stroke, are among the leading causes of death and disability. In critical conditions after a stroke, patients develop metabolic disorders and malnutrition, which result in an increase in the frequency of deaths. The increase in nitrogen loss can reach 30 g/kg of body weight. Enteral nutrition products (ENPs), the importance of which is emphasized in international guidelines, are often used to correct hypermetabolic syndrome. In the Russian market, about 95% of enteral nutrition mixtures are imported, and they are mainly made on the basis of milk protein. Soy, pea, wheat or egg hydrolysates and isolates also act as a protein base. This paper analyzes publications on existing products for enteral nutrition in neurodegenerative conditions and promising components. Thus, meat, including meat obtained from reconvalescent pigs, is of particular interest as the protein basis of ENPs. As a carbohydrate component, maltodextrin has good digestibility and has a positive effect on the intestinal microflora. It is advisable to use soybean and rapeseed oils with high thermal stability as sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids of plant origin. Dietary fiber is essential for the nutrition of intestinal bacteria, producers of short–chain fatty acids. In addition, fermentation of inulin produces butyrate, which improves neurological parameters. Vitamins, trace elements and a number of other biologically active substances, including those of plant origin, are important as antioxidants that inhibit oxidative stress accompanying neurodegenerative conditions. Thus, the selection of components acting on different physiological mechanisms (metabolism, antioxidant protection, nutrition of the microflora etc.), and their scientifically based combination in the development of enteral nutrition will ensure the prevention of neurodegeneration, as well as nutritional support for patients, in order to reduce mortality and disability.

The possibility of enriching culinary products from khainak meat, a high-protein product, with iodine was studied. The studies have found that khainak meat is not inferior to traditional types of raw materials (beef and horse meat) in terms of protein content. The samples for investigations were made according to the recipe of minced meat semi-finished products “Domashnie”. In accordance with the recipe, cutlet meat was obtained during the production of large-piece semi-finished products from khainak meat of category I without tenderloin. In the experimental version of the recipe, fatty trimmed pork and raw fat were replaced with a protein-fat emulsion with a physiologically functional ingredient – iodine. A complex iodine-containing β-cyclodextrin-based food supplement, which was preliminarily added to the protein-fat emulsion, was used as a source of this microelement. Iodine losses were studied at various stages of the technological process of production and storage of chilled and frozen culinary products. The highest losses of iodine (up to 25 % of the initial amount) were found upon heat treatment of minced meat semi-finished products - frying until cooked. Significant losses of this microelement (8.1 %) were found in chilled culinary products that were stored for 72 hours at a temperature of 4 ºС. It has been revealed that after 27 days of storage at a temperature of -18 ºС, iodine losses amounted to 13.1% of this microelement content in chilled semi-finished products. It has been established that the iodine content in 100 g of minced meat semi-finished products of culinary readiness was 37.5 μg and 30.4 μg depending on preliminary storage in chilled and frozen state, respectively.

One of the approaches to creating metabolically targeted functional foods involves the use of freeze-drying technology in their production. This method extends the shelf life of products without the need for preservatives and allows the products to quickly regain their properties upon rehydration. Freeze-drying employs a gentle dehydration process, preserving the taste and aroma of the products while maintaining high levels of protein, vitamins, and trace elements. Optimizing this technology can enable the development of specialized functional foods with targeted metabolic effects. This study presents a comparative assessment of the effects of freeze-dried minced meat, fish, non-fish aquatic products, and poultry – previously prepared using the sous-vide method – on changes in glutathione, testosterone, hemoglobin, and cholesterol levels in the blood of outbred white male laboratory mice. The selected evaluation parameters were based on the influence of the composition of functional freeze-dried samples on biochemical processes of metabolic adaptation linked with oxygen transport, lipid metabolism, hormonal balance, and antioxidant defense, in response to dietary changes. In addition to a standard vivarium diet, animals from each group (except the control group) received a freeze-dried product added to water for six weeks. A significant increase in hemoglobin levels was observed in the group fed turkey meat (+7.3 %, p < 0.05). Elevated cholesterol levels were noted in groups supplemented with beef (+24.4 %, p < 0.05) and shrimp meat (+45.9 %, p < 0.01), which can be attributed to the high cholesterol content in these products, as supported by literature data. Increased glutathione levels were detected in groups fed reindeer meat (+48.9 %, p < 0.05), tuna fillet (+62 %, p < 0.05), cod fillet (+79.3 %, p < 0.01), shrimp meat (+159.7 %, p < 0.01), and squid fillet (+126 %, p < 0.01). Testosterone levels decreased in groups consuming shrimp meat (-22.8 %, p < 0.01), squid fillet (-20.6 %, p < 0.05), and reindeer meat (-22.6 %, p < 0.01). Similar changes in testosterone levels may also occur in humans consuming moderate to high amounts of protein (more than 2.5 g/kg/day and 3.4 g/kg/day, respectively). The findings suggest that the studied freeze-dried products may contribute to improved consumer health by modulating metabolic parameters.

The paper considers the issues of improving food quality using the system of fuzzy logic. As a rule, in food combinatorics, researchers deal with uncertainties and imprecise data, for example, with probable spread in values of the chemical composition of plant and animal raw materials, consumers’ taste preferences. The mathematical apparatus of fuzzy logic works with such data and makes models most flexible and realistic. Modeling of food systems in the programming environment R Studio is demonstrated. The construction of “If…, then…” rules and the difference of the standard membership functions (triangular, trapezoidal, and Gaussian) are shown in detail.