The gastrointestinal microflora regulates the body’s functions and plays an important role in its health. Dysbiosis leads to a number of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inflammation, atherosclerosis, etc. However, these diseases can be prevented by using probiotics – living microorganisms that benefit the microflora and, therefore, improve the host organism's health. The most common probiotics include lactic acid bacteria of the Bifidobacterium and Propionibacterium genera. We studied the probiotic properties of the following strains: Bifidobacterium adolescentis АС-1909, Bifidobacterium longum infantis АС-1912, Propionibacterium jensenii В-6085, Propionibacterium freudenreichii В-11921, Propionibacterium thoenii В-6082, and Propionibacterium acidipropionici В-5723. Antimicrobial activity was determined by the ‘agar blocks’ method against the following test cultures: Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella enterica ATCC 14028, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa B6643, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 63, and Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644. Moderate antimicrobial activity against all the test cultures was registered in Bifidobacterium adolescentis АС-1909, Propionibacterium jensenii В-6085, and Propionibacterium thoenii В-6082. Antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH inhibition method in all the lactic acid strains. Our study indicated that some Propionibacterium and Bifidobacterium strains or, theoretically, their consortia could be used as probiotic cultures in dietary supplements or functional foods to prevent a number of chronic diseases.

A significant number of milk processing companies all over the world confront the challenge of whey recycling. To date, the processing of milk results in a considerable amount of waste products, which can be used in core production processes, for the output of additional products and can help neutralize harmful effects of milk processing waste waters on the environment. This factor emphasizes the relationship between food and environment. The extraction of water from cheese and curd whey in the manufacture of concentrates gives a solution to one of the challenges facing the dairy industry – the processing of secondary dairy raw resources. Whey concentrates have certain advantages because they are long-shelf-life and easy-to-transport products of high nutritional and biological value. Several studies have assessed process flow factors of whey dehydrating in the manufacture of whey concentrates. The research was carried out using an experimental unit of a vacuum dryer with the thermal radiation power supply. The concentrates with a percentage of dry substances ranging from 11 to 30 % were produced. The important outcomes to emerge from the study are data on the dynamics of vacuum-induced water extraction from cheese and curd whey, its appropriate modes, as well as regularities and specifics of water removal. The quality of concentrates was assessed according to key parameters. The organoleptic properties of sample concentrates met all criteria quite sufficiently, being similar to input parameters. Whey concentrates with a mass fraction of dry substances from 11 to 30.0 % are recommended to use in recipe compositions of fresh and fermented whey-containing drinks. IR-rays represent a good alternative to conventional thickening and drying processes of raw materials at high processing temperatures. The properties of input raw materials remain unaffected owing to non-destructive temperature modes of the vacuum dryer.

Introduction. In recent years, scientists have been actively searching for medicinal plants containing biologically active substances with geroprotective properties to treat diseases of old age, in particular cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and others. Ginseng (Panax ginseng L.) is a promising source of geroprotective compounds. We aimed to select optimal parameters for extracting organic compounds from ginseng callus, suspension, and root cultures and analyze their qualitative composition. Study objects and methods. We studied ginseng callus, suspension, and root cultures, as well as their extracts. Biologically active substances were extracted with 30 to 70% ethanol. Organic compounds were determined by thin-layer chromatography. The results for each plant were archived and analyzed for the presence of quercetin, mangiferin, luteolin, rutin, quercetin-2-D-glucoside, malvidin, as well as caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, and sinapinic acids. Results and discussion. We developed a procedure for screening solvents and performed a fractional qualitative analysis of biologically active substances extracted from ginseng. As a result, we established the optimal parameters for extracting biologically active substances from the dried biomass of ginseng cultures. In all cases, temperature and the ratio of solvent to biomass were the same (50°C, 1:5). However, the extraction time and ethanol concentration differed, amounting to 60 min and 50% for callus cultures, 30 min and 60% for suspension cultures, and 60 min and 70% for root cultures. The qualitative analysis of organic compounds showed the presence of rutin (0.25), quercetin (0.75), and mangiferin (0.57), as well as caffeic and sinapinic acids in the extracts. Conclusion. Our set of experiments to isolate biologically active substances from ginseng callus, suspension, and root cultures resulted in selecting the optimal extraction parameters and analyzing the extracts for the presence of organic compounds.

Reasonable use and waste-free deep processing of milk raw materials represent serious issues for the most milk processing companies. Therefore, processing of milk whey and manufacturing products of full biological value is a promising trend. Its resources are enormous, exceeding 5 million tons per year, although only 40 % are recycled throughout the country. In addition, this problem is of high environmental importance. Milk whey is a product of cheese, cottage cheese and casein manufacturing. The chemical composition of milk whey is unique owing to biologically active peptides of whey proteins, which participate in physiological processes of human body. It contains 50 % dry milk substances and about 200 types of different compounds. Up to date engineering and technology processes aimed at the dehydration offer a solution to the problem of whey processing. The paper reports on low temperature technologies used in whey processing to produce protein concentrate. When freezing out water, a nutritionally valuable protein casein and albumin mass are concentrated. The cryoconcentration of milk whey on the inner surface of a crystallizer was carried out at a temperature of the heat exchanging surface minus 4 ± 2 ° C. Chemical composition, physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics of the whey concentrate have been investigated. The chemical composition of the whey protein concentrate contains 20.19 % of dry substances, 12.80 % of protein, 2.87 % of whey proteins. The freezing out of water in the set conditions has brought about a 25-time increase of whey protein fraction. Therefore, a whey mass can be recommended as a source of animal protein in human diets.