IMPROVEMENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FREEZE-DRIED MARE'S MILK AND FERMENTED MILK DRINKS BASED ON IT

The article addresses a topical issue in food biotechnology, namely the improvement of freeze-dried mare’s milk production technology and the development of a fermented milk beverage with an extended shelf life based on this product. The relevance of the study is determined by the high nutritional and biological value of mare’s milk, which contains highly digestible protein fractions, biologically active compounds, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. At the same time, the elevated content of unsaturated lipids makes milk fat susceptible to oxidative processes during storage, thereby necessitating the application of technological approaches aimed at product stabilization.

The study specifies the technological stages of freeze-dried mare’s milk production, including preliminary pasteurization, cooling, deep freezing, primary drying under vacuum, and final drying until a residual moisture content of no more than 5% is achieved. A comparative analysis of safety parameters, chemical composition, and nutritional value of native and freeze-dried mare’s milk was performed. To enhance the oxidative stability of the lipid fraction, the incorporation of natural antioxidants – dihydroquercetin, αtocopherol, and γ-tocopherol – was investigated at technologically justified concentrations relative to the mass of the milk fat fraction. The results indicate that the use of dihydroquercetin and γ-tocopherol slows the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products during storage of dried mare’s milk. The most pronounced stabilizing effect was observed when these antioxidants were applied at a concentration of 2.0% of the fat fraction mass, as evidenced by lower peroxide values compared with the control sample. Based on native and reconstituted freeze-dried mare’s milk, a fermented milk beverage enriched with vitamins A and E and dihydroquercetin was developed. The use of the antioxidant complex makes it possible to extend the beverage shelf life to 25 days while preserving its organoleptic properties and nutritional value. The findings are of practical significance for the development of specialized dairy products based on traditional domestic raw materials and may be used in the creation of functional food products with enhanced resistance to oxidative deterioration.

1. Consumer trends and attitudes to functional foods / C. Karelakis et al //Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing. – 2020. – Vol. 32, Issue. 3. – P. 266-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974438.2019.1599760. (In English).

2. Consumer acceptance toward functional foods: A scoping review / M.T. Baker et al // International journal of environmental research and public health. – 2022. – Vol. 19, Issue. 3. – P. 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031217. (In English).

3. Belyakova N.I. Dostizheniya i perspektivy razrabotki produktov funktsional'nogo i spetsializirovannogo naznacheniya / N.I. Belyakova, V.V. Shilov, A.A. Zhurnya // Pishchevaya promyshlennost': nauka i tekhnologii. – 2021. – T. 14, № 2. – S. 30-36. https://doi.org/10.47612/2073-4794-2021-14-2(52)-30-36. (In Russian).

4. Sozdanie novogo spetsializirovannogo produkta na osnove kobyl'ego moloka dlya profilaktiki obmenno-alimentarnykh narushenii / Sh.N. Tolekova i dr. // Vestnik KazNU. Seriya biologicheskaya. – 2019. – T. 80, № 3. – S. 58-67. https://doi.org/10.26577/eb-2019-3-b6. (In Russian).

5. Cais-Sokolińska D. Foaming and other functional properties of freeze-dried mare’s milk / D. CaisSokolińska, J. Teichert, J. Gawałek // Foods. – 2023. – Vol. 12, Issue 11. – P. 2274. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112274. (In English).

6. Modeling of freeze-drying of mare's milk taking into account cracks / T. Bekibayev et al // International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer. – 2025. – Vol. 167. – P. 109375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2025.109375. (In English).

7. Freezing as a solution to preserve the quality of dairy products: The case of milk, curds and cheese/ M. Alinovi et al // Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. – 2021. – Vol. 61, Issue 20. – P. 3340-3360. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2020.1798348. (In English).

8. Blanco-Doval A. Nutritional quality and socio-ecological benefits of mare milk produced under Grazing Management / A. Blanco-Doval, L.J.R. Barron, N. Aldai // Foods. – 2024. – Vol. 13, Issue 9. – P. 1412. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13091412. (In English).

9. Tocopherols as antioxidants in lipid – based systems: The combination of chemical and physicochemical interactions determines their efficiency / N. Barouh et al // Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. – 2022. – Vol. 21, Issue 1. – P. 642-688. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12867. (In English).

10. Review article vitamin E: a multi-functional ingredient for health enhancement and food preservation / C.C. Chu et al // Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. – 2023. – Vol. 17, Issue 6. – P. 6144-6156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-023-02042-z. (In English).

11. Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of dihydroquercetin esters / H.J. An et al // Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. – 2022. – Vol. 58. – P. e190800. https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902022e190800. (In English).

12. Gavrilov V.B. Spektrofotometricheskoe opredelenie soderzhaniya gidroperekisei lipidov v plazme krovi / V.B. Gavrilov, M.I. Mishkorudnaya // Laboratornoe delo. – 1983. – № 3. – S.33-36. (In Russian).

13. Sokolova M.A. Vozdeistvie pasterizatsii na antiokislitel'nuyu aktivnost' moloka / M.A. Sokolova, V.E. Vysokogorskii, O.N. Lazareva // Teoriya i praktika sovremennoi agrarnoi nauki. – 2020. – S. 458-460. (In Russian).

14. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS). Scientific Opinion on the re‐evaluation of tocopherol‐rich extract (E 306), α‐tocopherol (E 307), γ‐tocopherol (E 308) and δ‐tocopherol (E 309) as food additives // EFSA Journal. – 2015. – Vol. 13, Issue 9. – P. 4247. (In English).