Eat and... prevent diseases. What food additives have Belarusian scientists invented?

Belarusian scientists are working on creating a complex of functional products. From natural ingredients, they have obtained nutritional supplements that will make our food more healthy. Innovative components have found application in new recipes for bakery, MEAT and other products. The line will be complemented by herbal supplements that will enrich the products with vitamins and help prevent diseases. The researchers plan to combine their innovations in a new project under the “Smart City Food” brand.

You can't bake bread with FLOUR alone

For almost a quarter of a century, chemists and technologists at the research and production center for food technologies of the Unitary Enterprise "UNITEKHPROM BSU" have been developing ingredients for the bakery, meat industries and the production of soft drinks. They work in close cooperation with a whole conglomerate of specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the state enterprise Beltechnohleb, the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry, and the local Science and Technology Park foundation.

“All food additives can be divided into technological, which improve the quality of finished products, such as bakery products, and functional, which enrich products with vital components,” noted Tatyana Madzievskaya, HEAD of the research and production center for food technologies “UNITEHPROM BSU”, candidate of chemical sciences. - The former are used in the baking industry to improve the quality of finished products, for example, dimensional stability, volume, creating an appetizing crust, extending the shelf life of products. The latter enrich foods with dietary fiber, vitamins, microelements, amino acids, provide the body with vital components that we lack, thereby preventing the development of diseases. Many of our developments were financed by the state within the framework of the state programs “Rational Nutrition”, “Children of Belarus”, “Children’s Nutrition”, “Development of New and High Technologies in the Production” for 2011 - 2015 and others.

Why is there such a fuss about nutritional supplements?

Tatyana Madzievskaya explains that, first of all, this is a struggle for the market. Mandatory ingredients for bakery products are also import-substituting goods. Our factories are interested in high-quality technological additives, because the competitiveness of products largely depends on them. For fluffy and soft bread that retains freshness for a long time, the consumer is ready to vote with rubles.

“Technological additives, or, as they are also called, improvers, are what we actually started developing with together with bakery technologists,” says the head of the center. - The result was monitored at all stages: from the synthesis of the substance to the production of finished products.

The first in the range of improvers was one of the most popular in US baking technologies - calcium peroxide.

“During the technological process of making baked goods, calcium peroxide is completely converted into calcium carbonate, a neutral compound,” the scientist explained. - In addition, it is used in minute dosages - only 2 - 3 g per 100 kg of flour, which reduces costs for manufacturers of finished products.

The developed series of domestic improvers based on calcium peroxide ("Plissa", "Veles", "Tandrim", "Valentina") are today approved for use in the territory of the Customs Union and are a very popular product. Technologists claim that thanks to these food additives, bakery products become more competitive in such important parameters as obtaining a good yield of bread, high-quality fluffy crumb, reliable shelf life and even a whitening effect.

Technological additives from Unitary Enterprise "UNITEHPROM BGU" are especially popular in our market. Scientists work closely with bakeries in the Brest, Vitebsk, MINSK, and Grodno regions. The purpose of all bakery product improvers is different, and the demand is different. Among those in demand, for example, is a technological additive - complex bakery improver "Plissa-15" for the manufacture of products from wheat flour. About 1.5 tons are produced and shipped per month at the request of bakeries. Not so long ago we developed a complex bakery improver "Tandrim-3". Its purpose is to increase the shelf life of finished products up to 150 hours.

Recently, the enriching phytocomplex "Mayak" of the "Anti-stress" series was noted at the international level. The Belarusian developers of the Unitary Enterprise "UNITEKHPROM BGU" received a gold medal for it at the prestigious St. Petersburg Innovation Fair.

Thorough mixing is very important for the uniformity of the nutritional supplement composition.

Functional foods

Recently, the emphasis has increasingly shifted to the consumption of functional foods, which contain vitamins and other useful substances. This new generation of food is enriched with minerals, amino acids, dietary fiber in regulated quantities and is intended for the prevention of diseases: cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes and others.

This is a global trend. In recent years, the share of “healthy bread” in Germany alone has doubled. But we are not lagging behind. OJSC "Vitebskkhlebprom", for example, adds the selenium-containing phytocomposition "Aurora-7" to its baked goods. The composition includes plants that improve liver function and protect its cells from toxins. We are talking about MILK thistle seeds, ginger, mint, APPLE powder and seaweed.

The soils in our country are deficient in selenium content. It can only be obtained from food. Selenium is an excellent antioxidant. It also promotes the production of the enzyme coenzyme q10, which slows down the aging process. But with a lack of substance, the body is in a state of hidden hunger. Aurora-7 contains selenium in organic form, so it is easily absorbed and does not cause side effects.

Bread is an important part of Belarusian cuisine, one of the main products in the diet of many residents of our country.

The development of compositions that make it possible to create food products enriched with vitamins, dietary fiber, and minerals has been carried out at UNITEHPROM BSU for more than two decades. The assortment includes over 150 items.

“Consumption of vitamins in large quantities does not guarantee their good absorption by the body,” Tatiana Madzievskaya emphasizes. - You need to know how and in combination with what components they should be used. This is what our specialists do.

The production technology of each food additive is developed on the basis of kinetic studies. Enrichment complexes for the production of bakery products are aimed at supporting the functioning of various systems of the human body. Vitamin and mineral premixes "Arbarvit-1" and "Arbarvit-2" include B vitamins and are used in the manufacture of bakery products. For example, in Soligorsk they produce Mara bread.

Final stage: packaging in 25 kg kraft bags

Some recipes for finished products were developed jointly with specialists from the Beltechnokhleb Unitary Enterprise. Baked goods enriched with vitamin supplements are evaluated and the quality of healthy products is strictly controlled.

For the 100th anniversary of BSU, the company developed multifunctional additives “Seasons”, which can be used in the manufacture of a wide range of food products. At the Bobruisk factory of JSC Krasny Pishevik, an experimental batch of marmalade was made with these ingredients.

Vitamin-mineral complexes for children and pregnant women: mineral complex "Lada" enriched with calcium and vitamins A, E, D - premix "Bereginya-1", which have a general strengthening effect, were adopted by the Gomel confectionery factory on the recommendation of the Scientific and Production Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for food "Spartacus". They released “Cookies” cookies with vitamins and calcium. The healthy components in your favorite sweet products are a help both for the child’s body and for those who have stepped into the “golden age”.

Phytosol for balance

Perhaps there are as many conflicting opinions about any food component as about table SALT. Modern man is characterized by its excessive consumption. For example, salt is actively used when baking bread: it affects biochemical, colloidal, microbiological processes, gas formation and acid accumulation, and the rheological properties of the dough.

Consuming table salt in large quantities affects the development of arterial hypertension, as it promotes fluid retention in the body, increases the volume of circulating blood and systemic blood pressure, and increases the strength and frequency of heart contractions. This widespread pathology often leads to serious complications: coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke, and heart failure. To make food healthier, the amount of sodium chloride must be reduced. According to the World HEALTH Organization, daily consumption of table salt should be no more than 5 - 6 g.

Phytosols contain spicy-aromatic plants characteristic of the Belarusian region

The benefits of salt phytocompositions have been confirmed by biological and clinical studies.

But how to maintain the necessary balance when 100 g of the most necessary and popular products already contains a lot of it? In bread and pastries - 0.5-1.5 g (10-30% of the daily requirement); cheese - 1.5-3.5 g (30-70%); boiled sausages, frankfurters - 2-2.5 g (40-50%); smoked sausage - 3-3.5 g (60-70%); it is especially high in medium-salted fish - 9-14 g (180-280%). And it’s not at all easy to replace: under-salting makes the food bland. The technological function cannot be ignored either: salt is an excellent preservative, and the shelf life of the product largely depends on it.

To find a solution, domestic scientists and medical specialists joined forces. As Tatyana Madzievskaya said, they began working together with the Republican Scientific and Practical Center "Cardiology" to reduce the content of sodium chloride in food products at the initiative of Academician, DOCTOR of Medical Sciences Georgy Ivanovich Sidorenko. As a result, dietary preventive phytosols with a reduced sodium chloride content of the “Universum” series were created. Through the use of a complex of plants, it was possible to achieve an identical organoleptic (taste) perception. The amount of table salt in the supplement was reduced to approximately 70%. The remaining 30% was replaced with compositions of spicy and aromatic plants characteristic of our region: cumin, dill, coriander, garlic, basil and others. Of the foreign spices, only pepper was included.

The quality of phytosols was confirmed by experts from tasting councils. We had to find out what the average consumer would say. It was not easy to come to a common denominator: people have very different sensitivity to salt. The same amount of it in a product will be insufficient to taste for one person, and excessive for another.

Another thing is important: the health benefits of salt phytocompositions have been confirmed by biological and clinical studies. Selected herbs, vitamins and amino acids can improve the functioning of various systems of the human body. In one of the modifications of the phytosols of the "Universum" series ("Universum Plus") you can find folic acid, which is necessary for women's health. Athletes will appreciate the presence of L-carnitine, a humic acid that regulates fat and muscle metabolism. It also has another function: in case of tachycardia, it normalizes the heart rate. Phytosol "Universum Tonus" has been enriched with tauric acid, which protects the heart from oxidation processes.

Phytosols are a preventive dietary product for replacing table salt, reducing its consumption, reducing the risk of developing arterial hypertension and other diseases of the circulatory system. One of the bakeries in Belarus produces flatbread for pizza “Obedennaya” using Universum Aroma phytosol.

Food industry enterprises in Belarus also appreciated other new products of the Unitary Enterprise "UNITEKHPROM BSU". Phytosols of the "Balance" - "Credo" series The Brest meat processing plant purchases 200 kg per month. By the way, jelly from this manufacturer is sold in stores. In the recipe, a picky buyer will not find flavorings or flavor enhancers, such as monosodium glutamate, but will find phytosol.

Within the framework of the XXIII International Exhibition and Congress "High Technologies. Innovation. Investments" (HI-TECH 2018) in St. Petersburg, food phytosols of Belarusian production were awarded a 1st degree diploma and a special prize in the nomination "Successful promotion of goods on the market." This is one of the highest awards of the competition.

Smart city food"

The creation of a whole range of food additives allowed the developers to move on to implementing a new concept, which they called “Smart City Food”.

- The development of “smart cities” is aimed at improving the quality of life. Most associate their prospects with IT, a more modern urban management system, convenient transport, and so on, completely forgetting about another important component -

quality nutrition,” notes Tatyana Madzievskaya, head of the Research and Production Center for Food Technologies of the Unitary Enterprise “UNITEKHPROM BSU”. - Food here acts as an integral element of personalized targeted nutrition. Why is it not an independent direction and an integral part of the lives of city residents? There are a lot of people living in megacities, different in age, type of activity, level of health, and it is necessary that everyone finds the right products.

Scientists plan to pay more attention to the multifunctionality of food additives.

In the concept that scientists intend to promote, they focus on three important components of Smart City Food. Firstly, these are immunomodulatory products that can support the health of city residents. This should include a reduction in the consumption of table salt and, as a result, a complex positive effect on the cardiovascular system of the human body and a decrease in blood pressure. And also an anti-stress direction: creating compositions for enriching food products with substances that normalize the function of the NERVOUS SYSTEM. This will help prevent the development of chronic fatigue, increase vitality and performance.

For convenience and to guarantee results, it is important to use technological additives when preparing food yourself. Always busy city dwellers will definitely appreciate this “option”. A food supplement is a small, but still a helper. One of the varieties - the composite mixture "Vera" - allows you to obtain high-quality rye-wheat bread. Why not convenience?

In the near future, Belarusian innovators plan to pay more attention to the multifunctional focus of food additives, the use of which in the production process will ensure the quality of food products and maintain human health.

Belarusian scientists intend to promote the “Smart City Food” concept on a large scale. Next year they are going to offer specialists in the union space to get acquainted with it during the anniversary 30th international innovation competition in St. Petersburg. The topic of personalized nutrition is very relevant and will win more and more new adherents, the researchers are sure. After all, “Food of a smart city” is not only about comfort, convenience or meeting people’s needs, but in general the quality of life and the health of the nation.

| Snezhana MIKHAILOVSKAYA, magazine, photo BELTA, "UNITEKHPROM BSU" and from open Internet sources.

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