VITAMIN VALUE AND SAFETY OF COTTAGE CHEESE WHEN INTRODUCING NATURAL PRESERVATIVES OF FRUITS AND BERRIES INTO ITS RECIPE
The purpose of these studies was to determine how much it is possible to extend the shelf life of cottage cheese and increase its vitamin value due to berries and fruits of some fruit and berry plants. The research was carried out in 2021 on the basis of the laboratory of the Department of Technology of Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products of the I. A. Bunin Yelets State University. Kefir with a fat content of 3.2% was used as the main raw material. The fruits and berries were thoroughly washed and crushed into a pulp, then added to kefir and mixed evenly. Kefir was heated in a water bath and protein coagulation occurred at a temperature of 55 ° C. The resulting mass was filtered through a non-woven fabric "Agrotek", applying the same load. Glass jars with a volume of 0.25 liters with tin lids with threads were sterilized by steam in a water bath at t=100 oC for several minutes. The jars were filled with ready-squeezed cottage cheese. The addition of crushed fruits and berries to cottage cheese changes some of its organoleptic characteristics: orange pulp - consistency, sea buckthorn-smell and taste, aronia - color. The introduction of fruits and berries into the recipe of cottage cheese preserves the moisture and fat content within the standard. The dynamics of the acidity of cottage cheese is greatly disturbed only by the fruits of sea buckthorn. The addition of sea buckthorn fruits to it contributes to an increase in the humidity and acidity of cottage cheese in a greater degree. The shelf life of cottage cheese with the addition of sea buckthorn fruits at a temperature of 4 <sup>o</sup>C was 8 days, the other options - 12 days. When stored in room conditions (t=20 <sup>o</sup>C), the control cottage cheese and with aronia spoiled after 5 days. Adding fruits to it slowed down the appearance of mold: cranberry - for 1 day, mountain ash - for 2 days, orange-for 3 days. The most organic acids are added to the cottage cheese by sea buckthorn fruits and cranberry berries, flavonols - the fruits of common mountain ash, coloring substances and anthocyanins - aronia, ascorbic acid and carotenoids, including β-carotene - aronia and mountain ash.