Volume 55, Issue 2 (2025)
Milk and dairy products are traditional components of Russian diet. In difficult economic conditions, dairy import tends to decrease, and the national dairy industry tries to compensate for it. Today, the cheese consumption in Russia is below the rational standard, which makes it necessary to boost the domestic cheese production. The authors studied the cheese segment of the domestic dairy industry to analyze the possibilities of increasing cheese production. The research relied on the leadership criteria and the main industrial indicators in the regions, e.g., raw materials and production infrastructure, which were subjected to statistical and mathematical processing. The data were systematized by a set of indicators with precalculated statistical characteristics, which made it possible to rank the national cheese leaders. The organic index of cheese products was measured based on the protocol proposed by the authors. The correlation analysis revealed the links between the gross cheese production in the regions and their raw material supply.
The Russian Federation produces more than 900,000 tons of cheese and cheese products and imports 300,000 tons. The current per capita consumption of cheese is 6.5 kg per year, but domestic companies provide only 4.2 kg, i.e., 60% of the rational consumption rate. The list of the cheese leaders includes 38 regions, 20 of which provide more than 78% of the total national production, with the Altai Region leading the way. However, some of these cheese-making regions are currently experiencing an acute shortage of dairy raw materials, while some milk-producing regions have a poor processing infrastructure that cannot support cheese production. The national dairy industry has not enough raw materials as a result of a long-term dairy cattle decrease over the past two decades. A sustainable raw material base for cheese making needs 1.2 million more cows to increase the gross milk production by 9.8 million tons (29.6% of the data for 2022).
“The cheese issue” can be resolved by increasing the population of pedigree dairy cattle and encouraging farmers to start cheese dairy businesses. Both measures require strong federal and regional support.
Buckwheat and its mixes with grain have good prospects as an alternative raw material for fermented beverages with unconventional sensory properties. However, the use of buckwheat in alcoholic distillates remains understudied. The article describes the effect of different compositions of buckwheat-corn wort mixes on yeast generation, carbohydrate and nitrogen consumption, ethanol synthesis, and fermentation by-products.
The research featured buckwheat, corn, wheat grain, enzyme preparations, and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 985-T. A set of standard biotechnological and analytical methods was used to prepare the grain-buckwheat wort and control the ethanol synthesis processes and side metabolites.
The grain-buckwheat wort samples had different shares of buckwheat. Adding buckwheat to the wort early during fermentation catalyzed the yeast growth by 1.5 times and ethanol synthesis by 1.4 times. However, the ethanol concentration and alcohol yield in the buckwheat-corn and corn mashes were almost equal after 42 h of fermentation. As for volatile metabolites, their composition and quantity depended on the fermentation stage and the buckwheat content in the wort. The maximum metabolites (309.6 mg/dm3) in the buckwheat mash occurred after 20 h of fermentation; the maximum metabolites (506.4 mg/dm3) in the corn mash developed after 70 h of fermentation. The buckwheat and buckwheat-corn mashes had a low content of higher alcohols and a high content of esters, which can affect the olfactive profile and taste of tr aditional alcoholic beverages.
In this research, the targeted composition and concentration of grain wort components made it possible to obtain alcoholic beverages with alternative physicochemical and sensory profiles.
Utilization and processing of milk whey have become a pressing problem for the dairy industry as a result of unprofitable production methods and the poor energy-saving industrial technologies. Milk whey is a valuable raw material that contains more than 200 organic and mineral components. It can be processes into products with useful biological properties. The article describes a new fortified protein curd whey product obtained with magnesium thermal coagulation of proteins and fermented with a complex lactobacillus starter.
The curd whey was obtained by acid-rennet coagulation as a by-product of cottage cheese with a fat mass fraction of 9%. After +35–40°C in water bath, fat and casein powder were removed in a cream separator. The permeate was obtained by thermal denaturation at 92 ± 1°C with a 10% MgCl2×6H2O solution in concentrations of 2–42 g/L. The protein was then subjected to vacuum filtration. The fermentation of whey proteins involved a complex starter culture of four Lactobacillus strains. The research relied on standard physicochemical and microbiological methods.
The optimal mode for thermal magnesium denaturation of milk whey was 92 ± 1°C for 5–10 min with 18 g/L MgCl2. It yielded 25.0 g/L protein with 2.4 mg/g magnesium. When the magnesium concentrate of thermally precipitated whey proteins was fermented with the complex starter culture, it activated the proteolysis process, as well as provided the targeted physicochemical and sensory properties. After freeze-drying at –40°C for 18–20 h, the powder obtained was rich in living lactobacilli cells (1–3×107) and contained 907 mg/100 g magnesium.
The new method made it possible to turn whey wastes into a magnesium-containing concentrate of thermally precipitated proteins with increased biological value. Its qualitative indicators provide a wide range of possibilities in various areas of the food industry.
Tubers and cabbage are strategically important crops. However, their volume production is limited by their short shelf-life and vulnerability to spoilage. Drying makes it possible to extend the shelf-life but often damages the quality. As a result, the processing and pre-treatment should be calibrated for optimal parameters. In this research, carrots and white cabbage were treated with an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field before convective drying to study the effect of various modes on the microbiological profile of the vegetables.
The research featured carrots of the Red Core F1 and Borets F1 hybrids and white cabbage of the Olimp F1 and Agressor F1 hybrids. The carrots and cabbage were treated with an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (25 Hz, 1 mT, 15 min) and cut into thin bars (0.3–0.5 mm and 0.5–0.7 mm, respectively). After being dried in an Oberhof Fruchttrockner D-47 hot-air dehydrator, the samples were stored in plastic ziplock bags at 25 ± 2°C and a relative air humidity of 75% for 3 months. The QMAFAnM levels were studied in line with Technical Regulation of Customs Union TR CU 021/2011 before storage and after 1 and 3 months.
As for the carrot samples, the preliminary treatment with an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field accelerated the drying process: the dry product yield was 0.4–0.9% lower than in the control samples. The experimental drying process was less intense for cabbage, with the dry product yield being 2.8–3.9% higher than the control. For the carrots, the drying options were 55°C for 7 h and 65°C for 5 h. Both modes provided permissible values of microbial contamination throughout the entire storage period. The preliminary treatment with an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field reduced the QMAFAnM by 10.7–34.5%. The cabbage samples dried at 65°C for 3 h had permissible values of microbial contamination. However, the experimental pretreatment led to an increase in QMAFAnM by 9.5–12.5% compared to the control. The cabbage samples dried at 55°C for 4 h exceeded the microbial contamination standards for all parameters.
The data obtained may help to develop new methods for drying carrots and cabbage using an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field.
Biogenic amines are an important safety indicator for many food products. Although some countries have established maximum permissible values for histamine content in wines, this issue still remains understudied. This article introduces a comparative analysis of mass concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders.
Some wine and cider samples were produced in the Microwinemaking Laboratory, North Caucasian Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Viticulture, and Winemaking, while others were purchased in retail shops. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography made it possible to determine the mass concentration of biogenic amines.
In the wines and ciders, the concentration of biogenic amines depended on the grape or apple variety, as well as on the presence or absence of biological deacidification. The total concentration of biogenic amines reached 9.55 mg/dm3 in the white wines and 12.01 mg/dm3 in the red wines. The biological deacidification by lactic acid bacteria increased the concentration of biogenic amines. The mass concentration of histamine was higher in the wines than in the ciders. No putrescine was detected in the ciders, but they demonstrated a higher content of cadaverine. The use of nitrogen-containing yeast dressings during fermentation increased the mass concentration of biogenic amines in both types of alcoholic beverages.
The choice of optimal lactic acid bacteria and yeast dressings is important to reduce the level of biogenic amines in ciders or wines during deacidification since they may trigger the production of biogenic amines or introduce them in minimal quantities. The obtained results can be used to improve the existing safety indicators of mass concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders. Further research will provide new methods for reducing the concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders.
Plant raw materials are an accessible and efficient substrate for multipurpose enzymes and multi-enzyme complexes obtaining. Thermophilic bacteria are reliable producer strains for industrial enzymes with valuable physicochemical properties, e.g., heat resistance, stability at extreme pH, and chemical stability. Food scientists are on the lookout for new thermophilic strains capable of producing high yields of industrially valuable enzymes from cheap plant raw materials. In this research, various plant cultivation media affected the complex hydrolytic enzymes produced by a thermophilic strain of Bacillus subtilis Kb.12.Gl.35. The research objective was to select the optimal raw materials for the synthesis of thermostable hydrolases, i.e., proteases, amylases, and hemicellulases.
The thermophilic strain was isolated from a compost sample, identified by 16S rRNA sequencing, and tested using standard microbiological and biochemical methods. The strain grew on different media with plant flour combined with yeast or corn extract. The activity of extracellular enzymes made it possible to study the composition of the hydrolase complex. The proteolytic activity was determined using casein as the substrate and by zymography. The 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method revealed the carbohydrase activity.
When culturing the hydrolase producer on nutrient media with plant flour (1%) and corn extract (0.5%), the highest level of protease synthesis (≥ 40 units/mL) was detected in the samples with amaranth, oat, and rice flour. The highest level of amylase (≥ 1,300 units/mL) belonged to the chickpea, oat, and rice flour samples. The biggest yields of galactomannanase (≥ 200 units/mL) and xylanases (≥ 60 units/mL) was found in the samples with amaranth, pea, and chickpea samples. The biggest amount of arabinogalactanase (≥ 35 units/mL) belonged to the amaranth, chickpea, and rice flour. Based on the zymographic analysis, the enzymes of 24.7–28.2 kDa and the proteases of 62.7–75.0 kDa appeared to be the most efficient proteolytic agents. Their activity was obvious on plant raw materials, in contrast to the standard LB medium. The secretion level of 15.1 kDa proteases was the same on the plant media as on the standard medium.
Bacillus subtilis Kb.12.Gl.35 proved to be an effective producer of proteases, amylases, and hemicellulases with plant flour and corn extract in the medium. Further studies are needed to optimize the composition of nutrient media and cultivation conditions to increase the yield of the target hydrolytic enzymes.
Pumpkin (Cucurbita) is a melon, fodder, and oilseed crop. It is rich in macro- and micronutrients that give it its antibacterial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, prooxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Various storage and preservation methods make it possible to preserve and stabilize the initial quality of pumpkin. This article describes the changes in the optical properties and carotenoid content in pumpkin pulp depending on the cultivar and the production method.
The research featured fresh pumpkins of six mid-season varieties, i.e., Rossiyanka, Ulybka, Kustovaya Oranzhevaya, Gribovskaya Zimnaya, Zimnaya Sladkaya, and Altaiskaya 47. The colorimetric methods made it possible to determine the color differences during storage while the carotenoid content was analyzed by chromatography. The data obtained underwent statistical processing. The dry puree samples were obtained by conventional drying and enzymolysis with Amilorizin and Protozyme.
The pumpkin variety affected the lightness indices, the b* color coordinate, and the browning index, as well as the content of lutein and trans-β-carotene in the puree. The production method affected the a* color coordinate, the color difference, the saturation, and the hue angle, as well as the content of violaxanthin, α-carotene, and cis-β-carotene. Compared with the conventional drying, the enzymolysis samples demonstrated better lightness indices, smaller a*, b*, and saturation changes, a higher content of violaxanthin, lutein, α-carotene, trans-β-carotene, and a lower content of cis-β-carotene. The best optical properties belonged to the cultivars of Rossiyanka, Ulybka, and Kustovaya Oranzhevaya. The optimal carotenoid content belonged to Ulybka, Gribovskaya Zimnyaya, Rossiyanka, Zimnyaya Sladkaya, and Altaiskaya 47. Some significant direct correlations were registered between the content of trans-β-carotene and the a* changes; violaxanthin correlated with a* and b*; α-carotene correlated with a*. An inverse correlation occurred between the content of cis-β-carotene and the changes in a* and b*.
The results may help pumpkin farms to improve the production of high-quality pumpkin puree with stable optical properties.
New breeds of fur-bearing animals are multi-breed crosses. Selection requires new methods for genetic control. This article describes a new early-maturing and highly-productive crossbreed of rabbits called Rodnik obtained at the Afanasyev Research Institute for Fur Farming and Rabbit Breeding, Russia. It was a result of multi-stage generations of crossings between such breeds as White Giant, Soviet Chinchilla, and Californian. However, in terms of polylocus genotypes of highly polymorphic elements, the Rodnik rabbits are closer to the White Giant breed. The article describes the changes in the genetic pool of this three-breed cross through a comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of exons 8 and 13 of the melanophilin (mlph) color gene.
The research featured the rabbit breeds of White Giant, Soviet Chinchilla, and Californian, as well as their Rodnik cross. The analysis of the mlph gene in Oryctolagus cuniculus involved bioinformatics methods based on the nucleotide sequence of the reference genome UM_NZW_1.0 (GCF_009806435.1) from the GenBank database. The exon-intron structure was determined using the Splign software; the conditions and stages of PCR, including the design of primers for exonic regions, were developed using the online version of BLAST3. Exons 8 and 13 made it possible to identify the differences between chinchilla-colored rabbits and other breeds.
In some color properties, the Rodnik cross was closer to the Californian parent breed. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was detected in two nucleotides in exon 8 and in one nucleotide in exon 13. The haplotypes of two SNPs in exon 8 and one SNP in exon 13 of the mlph gene were homozygous and coincided with the White Giant breed. The Soviet Chinchilla and Californian breeds carried a heterozygous haplotype for two SNPs in exon 8, as well as in the homozygote of another nucleotide (C–T) in exon 13 in the same positions. The identified SNPs did not correlate with color. However, the Rodnik cross was closer to the White Giant in terms of genotypes and polymorphisms of some highly polymorphic genomic elements.
The mlph gene might become part of selection as it belongs to the Ras oncogene superfamily and the largest exophilin subfamily of Rab effector proteins that coordinate vesicular transport and some adipogenesis stages.
Most people source protein from animal products such as eggs, meat, and dairy products. However, they are more expensive than plant sources of protein and their consumption can provoke severe allergic reactions. Enzymatic hydrolysis can reduce the allergenicity of egg white, which has the most balanced amino acid composition. The functional properties of egg white can be improved by mixing it with plant protein hydrolysates. This study aimed to select optimal conditions for obtaining mixtures of egg albumin and globulin hydrolysates with plant protein hydrolysates that would have a balanced amino acid composition, low allergenicity, and high functional and technol ogical properties.
The study objects included chicken eggs (74% moisture, 11% crude protein), flax flour (7% moisture, 36% crude protein), corn flour (12% moisture, 8% crude protein), and oat flour (11% moisture, 11% crude protein). The Lowry method, Anson method, ion exchange chromatography, and the ELISA method were used to determine the amino acid composition, allergenicity, as well as functional and technological properties.
Chymopsin was selected as the most effective enzyme for the proteolysis of egg protein isolates – at 50 U/g for globulin and 25 U/g for albumin. The globulin hydrolysates had lower water-holding, emulsifying, and foaming capacities compared to the non-hydrolyzed globulin isolate. The 60-min globulin hydrolysate had the highest fat-holding capacity. The albumin hydrolysates showed lower water-holding, fat-holding, emulsifying, and foaming capacities compared to the non-hydrolyzed albumin isolate. The 90-min albumin hydrolysate was found to be not allergenic. Its mixtures with oat, corn, and flax flour protein hydrolysates were analyzed to determine the ratio that would improve the mixture’s functional and technological properties. A 1:5 ratio of albumin hydrolysate and oat flour hydrolysate had higher fat-holding capacity; a 1:5 ratio of albumin hydrolysate and corn flour hydrolysate had higher water- and fat-holding capacities; and a 1:3 ratio of albumin hydrolysate and flax flour hydrolysate had higher emulsifying and fat-holdi ng capacities.
The study proved that mixtures of egg albumin hydrolysates with plant protein hydrolysates have better functional properties, a balanced amino acid composition, and hypoallergenicity.
Sunflower meal with its valuable chemical composition is a popular animal feed ingredient. However, it is also high on fiber. Mechanical fractionation can reduce the fiber content and improve the functional and technological properties of sunflower meal. This research introduces a new sunflower meal protein with improved functional and technological properties to be used in functional foods.
The study involved two samples of Russian sunflower meal and two types of flour, i.e., wheat and amaranth. The mechanical fractionation was conducted by three different methods: with a disintegrator, a rotor-knife, and a cam mill. A set of standard methods made it possible to determine the chemical, functional, and technological profiles of the samples. The sensory assessment (5-point scale) of the final confectionery products (cupcakes) included the appearance, taste, aroma, and texture.
The amount of protein in the fine fraction of the sunflower meal depended on its content in the original raw material. The mass fraction and the mass yield of crude protein depended on the grinding method. As a result, protein and fiber were distributed across fractions in different particle sizes. The fractions obtained demonstrated high water-binding and fat-retaining properties. The flour mixes with sunflower meal showed a greater water-binding capacity. The optimal fraction of sunflower meal was rich in protein (44%) but had a low fiber content (13%) and an admirable water-binding capacity (455%). The particle size of this fraction (≤ 250 μm) was the same as that of wheat flour. The finished flour products had a greater volume and increased protein content. The optimal dose for the cupcake formulation was 5% of the flour mix weight.
The method of mechanical fractionation made it possible to convert sunflower meal into protein to fortify functional flour products.
Ryazhenka is a popular Russian baked milk product. The physicochemical profiles of commercial, small-farm, and home-made baked milk remain fragmentary in scientific literature. This article describes the efficiency of various approaches to milk fermentation control and introduces a new experimental baked milk formulation.
The study involved commercial samples of fermented baked milk and experimental samples obtained from local ultra-pasteurized milk and the Vita starter. After heating, the milk samples were mixed with the starter culture and fermented at 37°C until stable titratable acidity. The physicochemical tests relied on standard methods used in industrial practice.
After the fermentation, the freezing point dropped to –0.691°C and the pH went down to 4.48 whereas the titratable acidity and the specific conductivity rose to 89.0°T and 7.23 mS/cm, respectively. The dynamics of changes in all parameters during cultivation included periods of constant values (3–4 h) followed by a sharp increase/decrease and a slow change until the end of fermentation. The freezing point, titratable acidity, specific electrical conductivity, and pH of the experimental products were compatible to the commercial samples. The acidity changes during fermentation were similar to the data reported by other authors.
The research yielded an extended set of physicochemical parameters for the ultra-pasteurized milk and baked milk samples available from retail shops, Minsk, Belarus, and those developed in laboratory conditions. It revealed a linear dependency between the freezing point, acidity, and specific electrical conductivity during cultivation. The data obtained may help factory laboratories to optimize various quality control methods.
Meat and meat products are consumed by a large proportion of the population. As a result, food scientists keep inventing new methods for meat identification, e.g., isotope mass spectrometry. This reliable method also makes it possible to identify the composition of meat and its geographic origin. This article offers a comprehensive review of scientific literature on isotope mass spectrometry and sampling methods.
The review covered Russian and English-language scientific publications registered in RSCI, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, MDPI, Springer Link, PubMed, and Web of Science in 2010–2023, with occasional older articles. The search and analysis relied on the methods developed by H. Snyder and R. G. Toracco.
The review revealed the factors that define the ratio of stable isotopes in the composition of meat and meat products, as well as the main methods of their identification. When standard approaches fail to trace the ingredients, the method of isotope mass spectrometry classifies meat samples by the animal diet because different feeds have different isotopic profiles. The meat origin information is especially crucial for consumers that have to maintain a specialized diet. The method identifies organic meat products by δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N and uses isotopic characteristics to determine the geographic origin of meat, thus preventing mislabeling. The review also revealed the most efficient and least time-consuming method of sample processing that saves up to 30 h.
Isotope mass spectrometry ensures the quality and safety of meat products by defining the authenticity and origin of meat even in complex meat foods. In meat products, the isotope ratios of hydrogen (2H/1H), carbon (13C/12C), oxygen (18O/16O), nitrogen (15N/14N), and sulfur (34S/32S) depend on the diet, fertilizers, and climate. These indicators form a unique isotopic signature that provides important information about the nature and origin of meat.
Despite its high demand in molecular diagnostics, the bacterial DNA extraction from dairy products remains an understudied area. The effectiveness of different DNA extraction methods for detecting microorganisms in food matrices needs a comprehensive comparative analysis. The article introduces a comparative analysis of bacterial DNA extraction methods from goat milk and its products.
The research included samples of raw, pasteurized, and powdered goat milk, as well as a goat milk yogurt and a goat milk cheese. The nucleic acid tests relied on five commercially available kits based on 1) a silica sorbent (DNA-Sorb-S-M), 2) salt precipitation of nucleic acids (DNA-Extran-2), 3) spin columns with a silica filter (K-Sorb), 4) magnetic particles (GMO-MagnoSorb), 5) a combination of phenol-chloroform extraction and silica sorbent (Sorb-GMO-B). The concentration and purity of DNA preparations were analyzed using standard fluo- and spectrometric methods. The isolated total DNA was used as a template for amplification of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments.
All kits were able to isolate bacterial DNA from all samples but goat milk powder, where the lack of amplification could be due to some technological production features or DNA degradation during extraction. The best results belonged to the method that combined phenol-chloroform extraction and silicon sorbent, especially for complex matrices. The method with silica sorbent without organic solvents was second in efficiency. The analysis of the yield and purity of bacterial DNA showed that some methods were less effective with milk matrices.
The method of phenol-chloroform extraction with adsorption on a silicon sorbent proved to be the most productive and universal method for extracting DNA from goat milk and its products. However, other protocols could be calibrated for specific viscosity, density, bacterial cell count, complex protein profile, exopolysaccharide/fat matrices of microbial encapsulation, etc.
Omics technologies give consumers access to personalized disease prevention. Today, commercial genetic testing is very popular. For instance, nutrigenetic testing requires no medical consultation or prescription. Personalized nutrition is an informed diet choice based on genetic, phenotypic, climatic, geographical, and environmental data. It is a more effective preventive measure than standard dietary recommendations. This article describes the state and prospects of consumer genomics with an emphasis on nutrigenetic testing as a basis for personalized dietary choice.
The review covered scientific publications registered in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and eLIBRARY.RU in 2012/2020–2025, as well as popular science literature and marketing reports.
The development of human genomics had passed through several stages before it gave start to personalized nutrition as part of consumer genomics. Its popularization on the Russian nutrition market has its own peculiarities. The topic field includes such aspects as nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, genome-wide association studies, polygenic risk index, epigenetics, and metabolomics of microbiome. The bioinformatics and machine learning help to process and interpret personalized data. Genetic risks awareness increases the motivation for healthier lifestyle choices. While the field of genetic research and personalized nutrition is run by some foreign and Russian direct-to-consumer companies, legal regulation remains a vague issue in this sphere.
Personalized nutrition requires a competent use of interdisciplinary achievements combined with ethical standards and regulatory norms. However, serious preclinical and clinical studies are needed to introduce personalized nutrition into the state healthcare system.
As more and more consumers choose a healthy lifestyle, local farm product stores become more popular. However, people prefer brands with an honest and transparent supply chain. The article introduces a brand analysis of the farm food retail chain Kalina-Malina, Kemerovo, Russia, with a set of improvement recommendations.
The research focused on the consumers’ assessment of the Kalina-Malina brand as a retail chain selling local farm food products. The analysis relied on D.V. Solovieva and S.V. Afanasyeva’s comprehensive method of market brand analysis, an expert and standardized consumer survey, an analysis of documents and open-access information, and a statistical, economic, and graphical data analysis.
The main characteristics incorporated into the brand by its developers proved transparent to the consumers. However, they did not associate the brand with uniqueness and progressiveness. While most respondents recognized the brand and evaluated it as friendly and natural, they had no clear idea of the visual interior design. The experts evaluated the promotion as the highest level. A standardized survey of consumers in situ showed that 70% considered the brand a leader in its segment and ≥ 50% proved to be loyal customers with a positive attitude towards the brand and a high satisfaction level. However, they did not quite understand the slogan and found it inconsistent with the brand.
The comprehensive brand analysis of the local farm food chain Kalina-Malina revealed its weaknesses and made it possible to develop a set of recommendations, e.g., to develop a new slogan that would broadcast the company values, to engage brand ambassadors and influencer bloggers to increase brand awareness, etc.
Greenhouse farming is an innovative model of agriculture that promotes sustainable production. Advanced greenhouse complexes use hydroponics, which makes it possible to grow vegetables and salads as far north as in Russia’s polar regions and on Sakhalin Island. To improve the yield and quality of lettuce, local farmers need an efficient mineral wool substrate and hydroponics. Biodegradable gels in combination with soil microorganisms are known to stabilize and prolong the effect of organic and mineral complexes.
The research featured Aficion green lettuce grown hydroponically in a greenhouse. The control plants were grown in line with the industrial technology, which involved a four-fold weekly foliar treatment with a combination of Ecogel and Agrocen at 0.5 and 0.15%, respectively. The experimental samples were grown on substrate treated with Yunigel Plantum at 0.03 g per pot. The weight of lettuce leaves without roots was determined after cutting; their moisture content was determined after drying to a constant weight. The quality of leaf lettuce was assessed by the content of solids (State Standard GOST 31640-2012), crude protein (GOST 13496.4-2019), and amino acids (M 04-87-2009).
The effect of Yunigel Plantum on quality and yield was evaluated by the ripening period, weight, root development, root hair development, moisture content, protein, and amino acids. The study also involved the effect of three different concentrations of humic and fulvic acids (Beres-8) to identify the optimal concentration.
Yunigel Plantum_12 increased the yield and growth rate by 20%: as it boosted the root development, the experimental lettuce absorbed nutrients and became rich in essential amino acids. Yunigel Plantum can be recommended for greenhouse lettuce farming since it proved able to increase the yield and improve the nutr itional value of lettuce.
Extraction is the initial stage in the study of the chemical composition of plant material. Crude extracts contain bioactive components that can be used in pharmaceuticals, food products, and food additives. Advanced extraction methods produce more yield and consume less time. The choice of a perfect extraction method depends on the target substance, the type of plant material, and its cell structure. Optimal extraction conditions are determined experimentally for each plant species. In this research, we revealed the main extraction factors for cell cultures of medicinal plants, depending on the technological limitations caused by the internal structure of the raw material. The bioactive extraction procedure was optimized using the experimental planning method.
The study featured cell cultures of Ginkgo biloba L., Pulmonaria officinalis L., Filipendula ulmaria L., and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. The variables to be studied during the extraction experiments included ethyl concentration, temperature, and time. All the extracts were tested for optical density using spectrophotometry, with a full factorial experiment with three variable parameters. The data obtained underwent the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to check the mathematical model that defined the correlation between the flavonoid yield and the main extraction parameters.
Using the experimental planning method, we optimized the main factors that facilitated the extraction of bioactive compounds from medicinal plant cell cultures. The volume fraction of the solvent proved to be associated with the largest yield of bioactive compounds from the plant cell cultures. Its optimal amount was the same across the samples (70% ethyl alcohol). The optimal extraction time and temperature for callus cultures of Filipendula ulmaria L. and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi were 5 h and 35°C, respectively. The callus cultures of Pulmonaria officinalis L. demonstrated the most economically advantageous extraction parameters, i.e., 2 h and 30°C. The optimal extraction parameters for Ginkgo biloba L. were 6 h and 55°C.
The study revealed the optimal parameters for the extraction of bioactive compounds from medicinal plant cell cultures with the maximal flavonoid yield. The results be used in further research.
The analysis of nutrition of schoolchildren and students of the Kemerovo region is presented in the article. On the results of the conducted analysis, the actual individual nutrition is estimated according to the content of the basic nutri-ents, and biologically active substances. The influence of nutrition on the health of the younger generation has been shown. To provide the schoolchildren’s bodies with necessary nutrients the way of correcting their diets by introducing biologically active additives has been offered.
The purpose of the present work is the investigation and the development of the production technology of the low-calorie fat imitator on the basis of casein for the improvement of organoleptic properties of dairy products. Before the development of the technology it is necessary to choose an optimum way of milk protein coagulation. The object of the research was skim milk subjected to coagulation. The analysis of the obtained results has shown that the most rational way of coagulation for the formation of particles of the required sizes and forms is rennet coagulation. To form the particles of the required sizes and forms it is offered to start and to stop rennet coagulation at the moment when particles have already increased in size, but haven't yet formed a clot. On the basis of the presented data the production technology of protein microparticls that can be used as fat imitators in dairy products has been developed.
The moose has good prospects for hunting and game breeding. Peripheral blood indicators can provide information about their health status and adaptive capabilities, as well as non-infectious, infectious, and invasive pathologies. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity is one of the most common clinical biochem ical tests in this respect.
The study involved blood samples obtained from male moose (n = 75) of four age groups: calves aged 6–7 months, young animals of 18 months old, adults of 2.5–7.5 years old, and adults aged ≥ 8.5 years. The biomaterial sampling was carried out in October – December in the southern taiga subzone, Kirov Region. The blood samples were obtained by cutting the jugular vein (Venae jugularis) immediately after the animal was shot during legal hunting. The blood serum tests involved a semi-automatic biochemical analyzer (Biochem SA High Technology, USA).
The alkaline phosphatase activity in male European moose during different periods of ontogenesis demonstrated the following pattern. In the first months of life, the enzyme activity was as high as 222.16 ± 31.14 U/L. This process was typical of intense hydrolysis of organic phosphorus esters, including the exchange of macroergs caused by rapid osteogenesis. At 18 months, the demand for organophosphorus compounds in metabolic processes decreased (46.48 ± 44.09 U/L), as did the role of the enzyme in maintaining homeostasis. In adults of 2.5–7.5 years old, alkaline phosphatase activity dropped to 69.88 ± 11.31 U/L. In 8.5-year-old males, it was as low as 47.34 ± 4.74 U/L. All age groups demonstrated significant differences in alkaline phosphatase activity. Therefore, age had a significant effect on enzyme activity. The study also revealed a certain correlation between alkaline phosphatase activity and body weight.
The dynamics of alkaline phosphatase activity in ontogenesis reflected homeostatic changes in the moose body. Indicators of alkaline phosphatase activity can serve as an efficiency marker and an additional criterion in standard selection methods in zootechnical practice.
Wild ungulates are a convenient object for environmental monitoring. The authors used the histological structures in deer’s liver to assess the well-being of populations in unfavorable anthropogenic and natural habitats.
The research featured liver tissues of red deer (Cervus elaphus), sika deer (Cervus nippon), and fallow deer (Dama dama). The histosections were examined in a MEIJI TECHNO microscope using the Vision Bio (Epi) software. The statistical processing involved traditional methods using the correlation and one-factor analysis of variance. The null hypothesis was rejected at an ingenuity level of ≤ 0.05.
The structure of the hepatic plates, blood vessels, foci of necrosis, and inflammation proved suitable as indicators. The cell count, structure, shape, ratio of mono- and binuclear hepatocytes, as well as their nuclei and cytoplasm, were assessed by microscope. The areas of cells, nuclei, and cytoplasm, as well as the value of the nuclear-cytoplasmic index, demonstrated diagnostic significance. A number of parameters depended on age and sex. The indicators demonstrated reliable correlations. The animals had a similar histological picture, even when the samples were obtained from geographically separated areas. The samples showed pathological transformations, including necrotic foci and binucleate hepatocytes. The structure and micro- vasculature of hepatic plates were disturbed.
Well-being assessment is a relevant issue for populations of economically important animal species. An environmental moni- toring system with wild ungulates as biological indicators could improve the monitoring system for the state of biota and its qualitative parameters, as well as ensure the well-being of the livestock and the high quality of the resulting products. The obtained histomorphometric parameters can be used as reference values in the norm-pathology gradient.
Antibiotics have long been overused for non-therapeutic purposes. As a result, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Proteus in avian microbiomes have become reservoirs for genetic determinants of resistance, thus spreading resistance to antibiotics and contaminating raw materials and finished products. The food industry is looking for alternative means to preserve health and maintain high productivity of commercial poultry, e.g., probiotics, phytobiotics, organic acids, etc. The research featured the effect of antibiotics and phytobiotics on enteropathogenic bacteria in the microbiomes of broiler chicken.
Escherichia coli bacteria were cultivated in vitro in subthreshold concentrations on nutrient media with antibiotics for 37 days to study the effect of low doses of antibiotics on the sensitivity of isolates. The study involved microbiocenoses of broiler chicken that received avilamycin A and a phytobiotic based on Brassica juncea, Linum usitatissimum, and Nigella sativa L. A set of experiments covered the species composition of opportunistic Enterobacteriaceae, the phenotypic sensitivity to antibiotics, and the genetic determinants of resistance, as well as the antimicrobial potential of phytobiotics.
E. coli developed no resistance for 37 days when the antibiotic dose remained below minimal inhibitory. Opportunistic gram-negative Enterobacterales predominated in all litter samples. E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis accounted for more than 30% of all isolated strains. Avilamycin A and the phytobiotic affected the coccal microflora but had no effect on the genus-species composition of Enterobacteriaceae. Litter samples from both experimental and control groups demonstrated K. pneumoniae with severe phenotypic resistance to ciprofloxacin, as well as blaDHA genes. In broiler farming, maintenance and circulation of resistance agents depends on litter microbiota. In this research, the chicken that received the phytobiotic showed the lowest level of resistance to ciprofloxacin while the groups that received avilamycin A had the highest resistance results.
During a broiler’s life span, bacteria with no active resistance determinants in their genome remained sensitive to antibiotics, even though the contact with the latter was constant. Phytobiotics showed good prospects for broiler farming as food additive that could reduce and eventually eliminate the intake of antibiotics.
The article discusses the dairy industry in the Chuvash Republic, Russia. The Russian Federation is experiencing a shortage of milk. Currently, the per capita milk consumption in the country is by more than a quarter behind the rational intake recommended by the Ministry of Health, which is 325 kg. However, the Chuvash Republic boasts 373 kg of per capita milk production, which is by 71% higher than the average data for the rest of the country, and the high quality of Chuvash milk is unanimously confirmed by leading domestic experts. The authors analyzed the success factors of milk production in the Chuvash Republic to be extrapolated on the entire domestic industry.
The research relied on such demographic data as the ratio of urban vs. rural population; dairy herd data, e.g., livestock population, farm types, dairy productivity, etc.; dairy production and processing business data. The methods included systematization, generalization, grouping, statistical data processing, and analysis of temporal dynamics indicators.
The Chuvash Republic has a large percentage of rural population and a lot of subsidiary dairy farms: 22 000 farms own more than 60% of dairy cows in the region and provide 55% of milk processing volumes. Subsidies allocated by the local government allow farm owners to ensure the high dairy productivity of cows. Most of the milk in the Chuvash Republic can be classified as near-organic. Leading regional milk producers have their own agricultural lands to provide environmentally friendly feed, as well as specialized premises for herd keeping and milking, retail outlets to sell their products, etc. A third of enterprises maintain the milk productivity at 7800–9200 kg, which is as high as in Denmark, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Germany. Most Chuvash dairy farmers owe their high results to the state support funds allocated for the purchase of breeding cattle. The twelve largest milk producers in the region provide 100% of the output of drinking milk, so private farms mainly focus on meeting the needs of dairy processing enterprises. The latter also receive seasonal subsidies.
The Chuvash milk miracle can be explained by the following factors: big rural population; private subsidiary farms; high-quality breeding dairy livestock; high-quality feed; good milk production and processing equipment. However, the comprehensive system of state support measures remains the most important success factor.
The Russian wine industry permits the use of concentrated grape must. Due to its shortage on the market, it often becomes subject to adulteration. The article introduces a comprehensive system for assessing the quality of concentrated grape must that prevents adulteration of semi-dry and semi-sweet wines.
The research featured 446 samples of fresh and concentrated grape must, commercial preparations of concentrated white grape must, and sugar or glucose-fructose syrups. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography made it possible to identify the profile of organic acids and sugars. After introducing authentic concentrated grape must, the samples were tested for colloidal turbidity and crystalline destabilization.
The authentic samples retained the chemical composition of the original grape variety, as evidenced by such authenticity markers as pH, disaccharide content, tartaric and malic acids, and glucose-fructose index. In the adulterate samples, these values did not fit the standard limits. The experiment involved 179 samples of commercial preparations: 21% proved to be mixes of authentic must with other products; 9% proved to be syrup substitutes, and 1% was concentrated apple juice. Authentic concentrated must aggravated the trend to colloidal opacity (17%) and crystalline destabilization (13%); a combination of both trends occurred in 13%. Low-quality preparation of fresh grape must before vacuuming increased the content of high- molecular components, tartrate anions, and potassium cations in the concentrated product.
The following two-step assessment of concentrated grape must quality made it possible to adopt a rational technological solution: I – confirming the grape origin; II – assessing the effect of the authentic product on the colloidal and crystalline stability of wine. This protocol demonstrated a good potential for ensuring the authenticity and bottling stability of semi-dry and semi-sweet wines.
Modern highly sensitive and selective sensors are able to determine biologically active substances, which makes this direction one of the most popular areas of analytical chemistry. The study featured the electrochemical properties of new fiber materials based on single-wall carbon nanotubes with prospects of using them in the voltammetry of ascorbic acid.
The authors developed a new technology to synthesize films from disordered single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition. Fibers were produced from a solvent by wet-pulling of single-wall carbon nanotubes networks. Thin films of randomly oriented single-wall carbon nanotube bundles were deposited downstream of a floating aerosol CVD reactor, which included a high temperature furnace with a quartz tube. The synthesis of the single-wall carbon nanotube samples was performed at 825°C. Ethanol served as carbon source while ferrocene was used as catalyst precursor. The single-wall carbon nanotubes were collected on a nitrocellulose filter in the form of films with transmittances of 10% in the middle of the visible wavelength (550 nm). The method was optimized to involve air annealing at 300–320°C and a treatment with strong inorganic acids, i.e., HCl, HNO3 + H2SO4. The voltammetric curves recording included background electrolyte, scan rate, and preconditioning. These parameters were selected experimentally to obtain the maximal sensor response to ascorbic acid content. The anodic peak of ascorbic acid in the phosphate buffer electrolyte (pH 6.86) was observed at a potential of +0.2 V. The current and peak area of ascorbic acid oxidation depended neither on the time nor on the conditioning potential of the sensor. The linear dependences of these parameters on the concentration of ascorbic acid stayed within 50–500 μmol/L (8.8–90 mg/L) at a scan rate of 0.1 mV/s. The single-wall carbon nanotube microsensor had a length of 0.5 cm and an average width of 400 μm. Its sensitivity was two times as high as that of a disk glassy carbon electrode with a diameter of 5 mm.
The experimental sensors proved effective in determining ascorbic acid in food products, pharmaceuticals, and biological fluids.
Problems concerning the efficiency of production processes and manufacturing high quality goods are important for productions based on the activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The paper identifies major reasons for the need to regulate yeast culture metabolism, considers existing practice and proposed methods of changing its metabolic activity. The purpose of the research is to create the classification of the supplements / preparations of different origin to improve yeast vital activity by adjusting its culture medium composition with the use of complex hierarchical faceted method. The classification is based on the division of the set of "supplements / preparations to enhance yeasts vitality" into subsets related to the intended use of the preparation, stage of its application, chemical and structural organization, and ultimate goals. Preparations are divided into groups for various purposes: to fill in the medium with missing compounds and / or additional enrichment with biostimulating components; to extract undesirable components from the medium for the yeast development; preparations-stressors; antibacterial agents, creating favorable conditions for the development of basic yeast culture; contributing to the degradation of raw material biopolymers and intermediates. Medium composition adjustment is possible at the stage of preparation the yeast for fermentation, directly at the main step of the technological process, during pure culture growing and seed yeast storage, at earlier stages of manufacture by processing raw materials or intermediates. According to chemical nature supplements / preparations can be organic, inorganic, mixed (complex) ones and those obtained by chemical or microbial synthesis or be of natural origin. This classification enables a more targeted approach to choosing preparations that provide the change of metabolic activity of the yeast culture by adjusting the composition of the culture medium.
Eukaryotic probiotics currently attract a lot of scientific attention, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces boulardii being the most widely investigated probiotic yeasts. The range of yeast species with probiotic potential needs to be broadened. In this respect, juice-providing plants may diversify eukaryoti c probiotic sources for organism preference.
This study tested the probiotic potential of Pichia kudriavzevii and Kluyveromyces marxianus isolated from coconut juice and Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Wickherhamomyces anomalus isolated from raffia palm juice in Nigeria. The in vitro tests used the optical density method to assay the tolerance to acid (pH 2, 3, 5), alkaline (pH 7.5, 8.0), gastric juice (30%), bile (1, 2, and 3%), and osmotic pressure (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30% gluco se solution).
All four yeasts survived in the test environments, exhibiting varying degrees of probiotic potential. After 96 h in simulated gastric juice, S. pombe outperformed K. marxianus and W. anomalus by 13 and 97.7% (p < 0.05), respectively. W. anomalus appeared to be the least viable in 30% gastric juice. After 96 h in the acid media, all yeasts performed better at pH 3.0 than at pH 2.0, with roughly 89% (1.695/0.185 mean absorbance values) greater growth in pH 3.0 than in pH 2.0. The alkaline media had a better effect on the growth rate. P. kudriavzevii fared best at pH 2.0 and 3.0 for up to 96 h. All yeasts maintained viability in 1, 2, and 3% bile solutions, although the growth rate did not improve significantly in any of the assay periods. Only minimal growth increase was registered in increased bile concentrations. All samples demonstrated sustained viability in 5–30% glucose between 24 and 48 h of incubation. After 48 h of incubation, the yeast concentrations began to fall as the glucose concentration rose from 5 to 30%. P. kudriavzevii was the least affected after 96 h (41.8%) and demonstrated the best survival results by the four criteria tested in this study.
If this species meets all other non-assayed parameters which qualify a microorganism as a probiotic, P. kudriavzevii obtained from Nigerian coconut juice can be recommended as a potential s ource of commercial probiotics.
