3D printed meat and veggie sausages. How technology is changing the food market

Belarusian scientists are developing the latest products to provide the domestic market with demanded and high-quality food products. Now there is a great demand for food products that contribute to the improvement of the body and the prevention of diseases. For children, adults, athletes, people with difficult working conditions, special nutrition is needed. In particular, specialists from the Institute of the MEAT and Dairy Industry of the National Academy of Sciences are working to create products suitable for people with lactose intolerance, who adhere to veganism, vegetarianism, proper and dietary nutrition. Representatives of the institute told a BelTA correspondent about a new direction in the food industry - 3D meat printing, analogues of meat products based on vegetable raw materials and other recent developments.

"The market for 3D printing of food products is developing very dynamically and actively. Its average annual growth rate is about 16%. The Institute of the Meat and Dairy Industry has developed technologies for the production of natural 3D meat products, as well as meat mixtures and emulsions for 3D printing," - said the HEAD of the sector for complex research of meat products of the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor Irina Kaltovich.

According to her, the main advantages of such products are individualized nutritional and biological value, a balanced ratio of amino acids, fatty acids and minerals. “That is, they are designed taking into account the individual physiological needs of a particular person. If, for example, the body lacks iron, calcium or individual amino acids, then it is possible to model the nutrient composition and include those components that a particular person needs in the required amount,” noted she.

Another advantage is the original technological parameters (design, shape, taste, etc.). "For example, some children are quite difficult to feed, and if you make a cutlet in the shape of a teddy bear, the child will eat such a product with pleasure. At the same time, we will be able to provide the body's needs with those nutrients that are needed for the growth and development of a particular child," the associate professor noted.

Another big plus is the natural composition and the absence of food additives in the composition of the product.

The Institute of the Meat and Dairy Industry is working on the creation of domestic vegetarian food products (analogues to meat products) with increased nutritional and biological value, the main feature of which is the balance of the amino acid composition of the protein. "Specialists of the institute have created analogues of meat products based on vegetable raw materials - vegetarian sausages. The project is under development. In the future, we will work to ensure that these products are widely represented on the domestic market - in retail outlets, cafes, restaurants, so that people can freely could buy them. Now these products are mainly imported in our country, and we need to develop our production," Irina Kaltovich emphasized.

According to Ekaterina Shegidevich, Deputy DIRECTOR for Quality and Innovative Work of the Institute, there are different forms of vegetarianism. "The strictest form is veganism, when a person refuses products of animal origin. A lighter form is lacto-vegetarianism, when, in addition to products of plant origin, MILK and dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, butter, etc.) are allowed. There is also a kind of vegetarianism when, in addition to plant products, you can also consume eggs," she noted. "If we are talking about an extreme form of vegetarianism - veganism, then, of course, it is very important to choose the components in such a way that the composition of the product contains the micronutrients necessary for the body."

Vegetarian products from vegetable raw materials of the vegan direction, which are developed at the institute, are based on components such as pea and buckwheat FLOUR, starch, semolina, walnuts, mushrooms, etc.

Developments are also underway for milk. “I would like to note that our institute is the only domestic manufacturer of starter cultures for the milk processing industry in Belarus. We produce a fairly wide range (starter cultures for the production of cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream, etc.) and are constantly expanding the names of this type of product,” said Ekaterina Shegidevich. In addition, we plan to develop a new direction - starters for the preparation of dairy products at home.Currently, we can see imported analogues on the shelves of stores, on the basis of which you can make a finished dairy product at home, for example, yogurt.We intend to bring to the market a similar domestic product. production".

In addition, with the participation of specialists from the institute, a product line based on A2 milk was developed. “So far, only one enterprise in Belarus is engaged in such production - the Luninets Dairy Plant. This milk is obtained from cows in which, according to the genotype, such a component of milk as beta-casein is represented by the A2 form. Casein A2 and A1 differ in amino acid sequences: on the 67th positions in one - histidine, in the other - proline. Milk intolerance in some people may be associated precisely with the body's resistance to A1 beta-casein, respectively, the developed line based on A2 milk will allow not to refuse the use of dairy products with high nutritional and biological value " she said.

The Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry has created dairy products with reduced protein content. "This is relevant for those who are forced to limit their protein intake and need an adapted diet. For example, there are people who follow a special diet for medical reasons. We have reduced the protein content in the product, and therefore the level of phenylalanine in it has decreased, which is important for people suffering from phenylketonuria. They will be able to consume such products," added the deputy director.

"The production of these products is planned on the basis of the institute. If we talk about patients with phenylketonuria (and there are about 1 thousand people in the republic), then we will be able to meet their demand for such products with our production," Ekaterina Shegidevich summed up.

BELTA.