What scientists put in the first Belarusian vegan sausage

Meatless sausage, vegan ice cream, cheese made from French sheep's MILK, dry mixes for pies and pizzas using 3D printing technology - new generation recipes were developed by scientists from the Institute of MEAT and Dairy Industry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. We learned what are the features of these unique food products.

A couple of years ago, vegetarians in our country did not live so easy. There were no specialized shops, no restaurants with cafes, where the menu would have dishes for them. Now the situation has changed radically, in hypermarkets there are such products for every taste. And why go: the Internet is full of offers for vegans: sausages, boiled sausage, salami, even basturma is available. True, the products are all imported, and therefore are not cheap.

Belarusian scientists, relying on the growing popularity of healthy eating, have begun to develop innovative products. First of all, ice cream and boiled sausage intended for vegetarians should be mentioned.

- Vegetarian type of food is gaining momentum. Look at how actively imported products began to appear on sale, which include wheat protein, sunflower and coconut oils, thickeners, flavors, wheat fiber, - says Svetlana Gordynets, Ph.D. - As a part of the sausage developed by us there is no single product of an animal origin. it is made entirely from vegetable raw materials. At the same time, in terms of nutritional and biological value, sausage is not inferior to traditional meat products.

So far, Belarusian scientists have tested only one type of vegetarian sausage - "Solnyshko". From the development of a recipe to the finished product, time must pass. But next year, according to Svetlana Gordynets, the novelty of domestic production will appear on store shelves at an affordable price.

It is planned to create a whole range of products, taking into account various areas of vegetarianism. For example, products using exclusively herbal ingredients, for ovo-vegetarians who consume eggs, and lacto-vegetarians - with the addition of dairy products.

Having opened a couple of Internet sites, you can see that if there are a large number of "meat" vegetarian products on the market, then the dessert group is not so promoted. Grigory Pinchuk, the chief specialist of the laboratory of equipment and technologies for dairy production, shared the idea to add soft tasty ice cream to this list. Thanks to their extensive experience, the specialists managed to bring it to life in record time - in just three weeks. Details of the composition are still kept secret, it is only known that the know-how is made exclusively from herbal ingredients.

- The basis is domestic soy milk and our native oats, plus flavoring. Further, everything is according to the classical scheme: dosing, creating a mixture, pasteurization, freezing (cooling). And voila - the product is ready, - notes Grigory Petrovich and immediately recalls how successful the presentation of the new ice cream at the Belagro exhibition was. - Everyone who tried soft vegan ice cream appreciated the originality of its taste. I'm sure the product will be in demand!

Another novelty that really surprised the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry is dry mixes for culinary products and semi-finished products. It would seem, well, what is innovative here, if not for one significant "but"! These mixtures are designed for cooking with the help of 3D technologies.

“The developed mixtures are based on high-quality meat raw materials (pork, beef, broiler chicken meat) with the addition of dry dairy products and other full-fledged ingredients,” explains Irina Kaltovich, Ph.D. - The area of ​​use of the development is quite wide: they are suitable not only for decorating products (cakes, pastries), but also for making pies, pizzas and other culinary products and semi-finished products with a high protein content (18-23%) and reduced fat (2-5 %).

In addition, scientists see the use of dry mixes from natural meat raw materials in campaigns, expeditions, and space flights as a rather promising direction. The secret is simple: they have a high nutritional and biological value. In addition, mixtures can be stored for a long time and are easily transported.

- A great advantage of mixtures and emulsions for additive technologies is the possibility of modeling their chemical composition, taking into account the physiological needs and characteristics of the metabolism of a particular person. By this, we open up prospects for the development of personalized nutrition in the Republic of Belarus, - the specialist clarifies.

Another innovative product worthy of attention is sheep cheese, in which the protein content is about 3 times higher than in cow and goat cheese. So, it is useful for athletes and people who monitor their physical form.

The creation of its recipe began in 2016, when an experimental livestock farm was created on the basis of the Loshnitsky feed mill to study the milk of lacaune (Lacon) dairy sheep, whose birthplace is the Tarn and Aveyron departments in southern France. Due to the work on selection and reproduction, the total number of sheep during this time has increased 3 times - up to 300 heads.

- In the milk of sheep of this breed there is no pronounced smell and taste, it has great biological and nutritional value. Compared to cow, sheep is much more nutritious. In addition to protein and fat, it has a high content of mineral elements, including calcium, - explains Lyudmila Bogdanova, Candidate of Technical Sciences, HEAD of the Laboratory of Cheese Making and Butter Making Technologies.

According to scientists, sheep's milk is an ideal raw material for cheese making. Having tasted this cheese, you will certainly feel light notes of wild flowers and herbs in its taste and aroma. By the way, due to the content of folic acid and vitamin B12, it can be included in the diet of pregnant women. Such cheese will also be indispensable in the nutrition of children from the age of 3 as a valuable source of calcium.

- Meat products with a 30% reduced SALT content. Salinity is provided by phytocompositions from vegetable raw materials, which include garlic, caraway, nutmeg, cloves, anise, ginger, white pepper.

- A fermented milk product with a lactose content reduced to 1%. It can be included in the daily diet of people who follow a low-lactose diet.

Marina VALAKH,

photo from the archive of the Institute,

newspaper.