Scientific and practical potential of dairy products for special purposes

Abstract

For many years, the All-Russian Research Institute of Dairy Industry (VNIMI) has been developing technologies for special purpose dairy products, including for on-board rations of crews of spacecraft and orbital stations. The work was carried out in complex with the Institute of Biomedical Problems, the Scientific Research Institute of the Food Concentrate Industry and Special Food Technology and a number of other industry and medical institutions. At VNIMI was created the special products shop, the scientific and production base of which allowed not only to provide research with experimental workings, but also to produce products in the required assortment and quantities. Development of technologies for astronauts products is continuing and at the present time, medical and biological requirements are being adjusted, modern technological representations are being expanded to find an applied solution, aimed at improving the quality while reducing processing intensity, introducing new packaging materials and so on. Special requirements are imposed on the products: they must be tasty, highly nutritious, well balanced in macro-and micro-nutrient composition, have certain preventive properties, be simple in preparation and use, have increased storage stability, etc. This group of products is rightfully considered the most knowledge-intensive in terms of technological innovations and solutions. Special purpose products on a dairy basis can in principle be divided into two main groups: sterilized (abiosis) and freeze-dried (xeranoanobiosis). To date, dozens of technologies have been created in both groups – milk, dairy drinks, soups, cereals, dairy products, cottage cheese and others. The products were tested for the duration of storage and included in the diets of astronauts. Part of the products was approved in the works of orbital stations and spacecraft, including international ones. Qualitative indicators of dairy products are highly appreciated not only by Russian, but also by foreign cosmonauts.