This study aimed to investigate Triumpheta cordifolia A. Rich. gum extract as a clarifying agent in sorghum wort brewing. The biological materials used in this study included the Safrari sorghum cultivar and the bark of T. cordifolia. We determined the key physicochemical characteristics, such as turbidity, pH, Brix (soluble solids), as well as color and polyphenol content of Safrari sorghum wort. The response surface methodology employing a Box-Behnken experimental design with three factors was used to investigate the impact of adding T. cordifolia gum extract to Safrari sorghum wort during its clarification. The physicochemical properties of Safrari sorghum demonstrated satisfactory results for malting. The sorghum was malted and subsequently brewed, and the resulting wort was clarified according to the experimental design. The design factors included the volume of the gum extract (from 1.5 to 3.5 mL) for a fixed wort volume of 200 mL, the stirring speed (from 30 to 160 rpm), and the settling time (from 10 to 60 min). The responses were analyzed during 15 trials and included turbidity, pH, Brix, color, and polyphenol content. These responses were subjected to mathematical and statistical modeling. All obtained models were validated against several criteria, including the correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.90), the absolute average deviation (absolute average deviation < 0.3), as well as the bias and accuracy factors (Af and Bf between 0.75 and 1.25). The optimal results suggested that the gum extracted from T. cordifolia could be effectively used as a clarifying agent in the brewing industry.

Functional beverages enriched with herbal extracts are gaining popularity due to their potential health benefits. Tilia cordata flowers are known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, making them a promising additive in food and beverage formulations. Our study aimed to develop ready-to-drink iced teas enriched with T. cordata flower extracts and to evaluate their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and sensory characteristics as functional food products. Fresh T. cordata flowers were analyzed for metal contents. Phenolic acid profiles in ethanolic and aqueous extracts were determined using HPLC-MS. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging, conjugated diene, and iron ion chelation assays. Antimicrobial effects were tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Sensory analysis was conducted using AI-based facial expression recognition to assess consumer responses. Metal analysis revealed low concentrations of Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe, with no detectable Pb, Cd, or Ni. Ethanolic extracts showed significantly higher levels of phenolic acids than aqueous extracts. Iced teas containing both types of extracts demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, with ethanolic formulations having the highest levels of phenols and flavonoids. Antimicrobial tests confirmed activity in both teas, with ethanolic extracts showing stronger effects. Sensory analysis indicated positive emotional responses and consumer acceptance for both formulations. Iced teas enriched with T. cordata extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, confirming their potential as functional beverages. The use of AI-driven sensory evaluation proved effective in capturing consumer preferences, supporting its application in product development. These findings suggest commercial viability for industrial production.

Physiological blood parameters help assess the health, feeding, immune, and reproductive status of wild animals. However, complicated sampling procedures make it difficult to establish the reference intervals for hematological parameters. Wild boar (Sus scrofa, Linnaeus 1758) is a popular game species. As a result, its population in Russia has been declining for the last decade. The wild boar is fertile and ecologically flexible; it responds well to biotechnical measures and have high population density. The research renders new data on the biology and physiology of wild boars. The blood samples were obtained from 68 juvenile and adult wild boars in the Kirov Region in 2017–2023. The body weight varied from 30 to 211 kg. Blood from the jugular vein was collected into anticoagulant test tubes. The laboratory tests involved a veterinary version of a MicroCC-20 Plus automatic analyzer (High Technology, USA). The stained smears were examined using a MEIJI TECHNO light microscope (Japan) under an immersion system with a ×100 lens. The red blood cell parameters were measured using the Vision Bio software (Epi, Austria). The research revealed the hematological profile of wild boars; the data were statistically processed, including, for the first time, the effect of sex and age on various hematological parameters. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile and adult females included the relative red cell distribution width by volume (standard deviation) and red blood cell thickness. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile and adult males were in hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes, and segmented neutrophils, as well as in such red blood cell parameters as total count, relative width by volume, area, perimeter, diameter, and sphericity index. The significant differences (p < 0.05) between juvenile females and males referred to hemoglobin and such parameters of red blood cells as total count, area, perimeter, and diameter. In adult males and females, it was the red blood cell thickness and platelet count. The research also yielded the lymphocytic profile of wild boar blood. The age affected such parameters as hematocrit (p = 0.02), segmented neutrophils (p = 0.00), and lymphocytes (p = 0.00). The body weight affected the hematocrit (p = 0.02) and mean red blood cell volume (p = 0.04). The differences in Sus scrofa hematological profile depended on the physiological status, diet, minerals, age, sex, and stress. The reference intervals may help interpret the hematological profiles of other wild boar populations and optimize the game resource management.

Native micellar casein and whey proteins can be obtained from skim milk by microfiltration. It is a popular method that yields high-quality dairy products. The article introduces an empirical approach to predicting the permeate flux value during microfiltration of skim milk. The research objective was to produce retentates with a target ratio of protein fractions in the true protein. The physicochemical profile of skim milk was studied by standard methods. The experimental microfiltration involved a Spectrum Labs KrosFlo® Research II TFF System. The research revealed the optimal operating modes of microfiltration and diafiltration for 0.1 μM membranes (Vladisart, Russia): operating pressure 0.2–2.5 bar, circulation rate 65–140 mL/min, temperature 50 ± 1°C. These modes made it possible to obtain a ratio of casein to whey proteins that exceeded 95:5. At the optimal ratios of pressure, circulation rate, and temperature, the amount of casein proteins grew from 2.2 to 4.0% in relation to whey proteins. The grid search analysis confirmed a set of similar values of Y = f(X1, X2, X3). Microfiltration of skim milk proved effective at different combinations of pressure, circulation rate, and temperature, depending on the production technology, target products, and target ratio of mass fractions of casein and whey proteins in the true protein.

Turkey farming and meat processing are fast-developing areas of the Russian food industry. However, their development requires more advanced methods of meat storage and freezing. Traditional methods of air cooling often fail to preserve the original meat texture and nutritional value. This paper introduces a new refrigeration unit with CO2 as a refrigerant. CO2 snow and gas come in direct contact with turkey carcasses, thus accelerating the cooling process and improving the meat quality. CO2 recirculation makes the refrigeration unit an economical solution to environmental issues. The refrigeration unit included a conveyor system, a vacuum chamber, and a CO2 circulation system. The research featured grade 1 turkey carcasses of 2.7 ± 0.1 kg frozen at different temperatures (–30, –50, and –70°C) and CO2 flux rates (0–5 m/s). The share of CO2 in the gas mix was ≥ 50%. The temperature and heat flux density were measured using thermocouples and heat flux probes. As the temperature dropped from –30 to –70°C, the freezing time decreased from 48 to 33 min and to 29 min when the experiment involved enforced convection. The amount of CO2 consumed increased from 7.5 to 13.5 kg without convection and from 6.5 to 12.0 kg with enforced convection. Compared to traditional methods, CO2 provided uniform freezing and reduced mechanical damage to the meat structure. The newly developed refrigeration unit with recirculated CO2 demonstrated high efficiency in freezing turkey meat while reducing CO2 consumption and providing uniform cooling of the carcass. It demonstrated could prospects for industrial use, which opens up new opportunities for further research and freezing process optimization.

Nowadays, the worldwide market includes a wide variety of sweets with processed sugar. The food industry has been developing alternatives based on health products. This study aimed to formulate alternative, highly-nutritional date-based sweets filled with cooked pulses and sweetened with date products without using processed sugar. Different cooked pulses (red cowpea, soybean, and chickpea seeds) sweetened with date powder or date syrup (dips) were used to prepare alternative date sweets. They were exposed to physicochemical and microbiological analyses and sensory evaluation. Adding pulses to the pulse-date sweet samples significantly raised their contents of protein, fats, crude fibers, total sugars, calcium, iron, and zinc, as well as caloric values, lightness, and water activity. Compared to the control (date paste mixed with dark chocolate), the sweets with cooked pulses had lower contents of ash, carbohydrates, phenolics, and caffeine, as well as lower antioxidant activity and hardness values. Following storage for three months, the water activity and microbiological counts slightly declined. The date sweets filled with cooked pulses had high sensory acceptability. The samples containing cooked red cowpeas and chickpeas were the most acceptable, while those sweetened with date powder had maximum antioxidant activity. Our study revealed that enriching date sweets with cooked pulses increases their nutritional value without involving processed sugar in the final product.

The demand for freshly squeezed natural fruit juices has increased in recent years, however their shelf life is quite short. Thermal processes applied to extend the shelf life of such products and increase their storage stability cause significant losses in color and other sensory properties, depending on the temperature applied. Therefore, the preference for high-pressure homogenization as an alternative to thermal processes is on the rise. We aimed to determine effects of ultra-high-pressure homogenization and production stages on some quality properties of chicory root juice. Ultra-high-pressure homogenization was applied at the pressure levels of 0 (Control), 50, 100, 150, and 200 MPA. The samples also included juice after homogenization with an ULTRA-TURRAX disperser and after a water bath. Ultra-high-pressure homogenization affected such quality characteristics of chicory root juice as total soluble solids (p < 0.01), pH (p < 0.01), L* (p < 0.01), a* (p < 0.01), b* (p < 0.01), a*/b* (p < 0.01), chroma (p < 0.01), hue angle (p < 0.01), and total color difference ΔE (p < 0.01). Higher levels of ultra-high-pressure homogenization pressure increased pH (p < 0.05), a* values (p < 0.05), and the a/b* ratio (p < 0.05) but reduced L* (p < 0.05), b* (p < 0.05), chroma (p < 0.05), and hue angle (p < 0.05) values of the juice samples. Thus, the use of ultra-high-pressure homogenization (100 and 200 MPa) contributed to improving the total soluble solids and redness values of chicory root juice. Our study showed that the ultra-high-pressure homogenization process improved the quality of chicory root juice.

The gut microbiota is called the “main organ” of the host organism due to its important role in maintaining the normal functioning of the body. Dysbacteriosis is one of the risk factors for chronic diseases. It can cause metabolic and neural disorders, inflammatory and other reactions that reduce a healthy lifespan. This calls for developing bioactive supplements with a geroprotective effect to promote health. In this review, we aimed to study the relationship between the gut microbiota and the host organism. This systematic review covered scientific papers published from 2013–2024 and indexed by eLIBRARY.RU, the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and Scopus. Dysbacteriosis can lead to a number of diseases that have a cumulative negative effect on the gut microbiota. Regardless of the state of health, the following factors affect the gut microbiota in the decreasing order: diet > sleep > circadian rhythm > physical activity. There is a need for developing bioactive supplements with geroprotective potential to normalize the functioning of the microbiota. In particular, these supplements can contain probiotics, prebiotics, and plant metabolites. Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium can be used as probiotics. Prebiotics include arabinogalactan, galactooligosaccharides, inulin, lactulose, oligofructose, xylo-oligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharide, or their mixtures. Among plant metabolites, especially important are polyphenols, including the ones from green tea, fruits and berries, as well as resveratrol, allicin, quercetin, curcumin, and others. However, not all of them are easily bioavailable and soluble. Encapsulation is often used to address the problem of bioavailability. The ketogenic diet and fasting-mimicking diets have the potential to increase a healthy life expectancy. The potential of dietary supplements to normalize the gut microbiota can be studied by in vitro experiments that use artificial gastrointestinal tracts. Our results can provide a foundation for further research into the role of the gut microbiota in maintaining the health of the host organism.

Plant polyphenols are known for their numerous health-promoting properties. This article reviews the current state of research in two related fields, namely beneficial effects of flavonoids for human health, e.g., gut microbiome, and supercritical fluid extraction applied to flavonoids of plant origin. The review covered research articles registered in eLIBRARY.RU, PubMed, and Science Direct in 2005–2025. Polyphenolic compounds obtained from various berries were reported to have a positive impact on gut microbiota, e.g., they stimulated the growth of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and other beneficial microorganisms, as well as improved the adhesion of probiotic and pathogenic microbes to intestinal epithelial cells. The review revealed some promising application areas for berry extracts in the functional food industry. Polyphenols can be part of meat formulations due to their strong antioxidant activity. Their antimicrobial effect against a wide range of contaminants renders them good prospects in protecting food products from microbial spoilage. Supercritical extraction is a promising method that isolates biologically active substances from plant materials. The review summarizes its advantages and limitations, as well as the range of prospective co-solvents. Ultrasonication, pulse electric field, and enzymic pretreatment make supercritical extraction more efficient. In general, this extraction method proved to be an excellent means of isolating flavonoids and related compounds from various plants and their parts.