Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of knowledge 18 – “Production and Technology” in the specialty 181 “Food Technologies”. – Odesa National University of Technology. – Odesa, 2026.
The dissertation is devoted to the scientific substantiation of the development of technologies for suluguni cheeses enriched with probiotic cultures Lactobacillus acidophilus and functional ingredients of plant origin – flax or fenugreek seeds. The relevance of the study is due to the growing demand for products with increased biological and physiological value, the development of the segment of food, including dairy, health-promoting products and the need to develop new technological approaches to intensifying the production of cheeses with thermoplasticization of cheese mass. The modern development of the food industry is characterized by an increase in demand for products that combine high nutritional value, safety, health-promoting properties and technological stability. A special place among such products is occupied by cheeses, which are an important source of complete proteins, bioactive compounds, macro- and microelements, and beneficial microbiota. In world practice, there is a steady trend towards expanding the range of cheeses with increased biological value, in particular with the use of probiotic cultures and plant ingredients that can enhance their health-promoting properties.
Thus, the topic of the dissertation research, dedicated to the development of technologies for suluguni cheeses enriched with probiotic cultures and functional ingredients of plant origin - flax or fenugreek seeds, in order to increase their health-promoting properties and extend their shelf life, is relevant and promising, has important scientific and practical significance and is aimed at solving key problems in the dairy industry.
The introduction substantiates the relevance and connection of the work with scientific programs, plans, topics, formulates the goal and objectives of the study, highlights the scientific novelty and practical significance of the obtained research results, provides information on the industrial, and determines the personal contribution of the applicant in the conducted research and publications on the topic of the dissertation.
The first section of the dissertation provides a thorough analysis of the current state of the cheese market in Ukraine, which in recent years has demonstrated trends for recovery and structural restructuring. It has been established that consumer demand is gradually shifting towards fresh, soft and brine cheeses, among which suluguni occupies a prominent place due to the combination of traditional properties and high adaptability to innovative technological solutions. It is shown that organoleptic characteristics remain the key criterion for choosing cheeses, however, consumers are increasingly paying attention to the health-promoting direction of products, their nutritional, biological value and the presence of useful additives.
The existing approaches to the classification of cheeses in world and national practice are summarized and systematized. It is revealed that the absence of a universal classification system complicates the comparison of technological groups and the determination of the place of individual types of cheeses in the overall market structure. Based on the analysis of physicochemical, microbiological and technological criteria, the feasibility of isolating cheeses with thermoplastic cheese mass as an independent group, characterized by specific structural and mechanical properties caused by unique processes of melting and stretching of cheese mass, is substantiated.
The technological features of the technology of suluguni-type cheeses are considered in detail. Special attention is paid to the processes of cheddarization and thermoplasticization of the cheese mass, which determine the formation of the characteristic layered-fibrous structure of the product. The biochemical transformations that occur at these stages are analyzed, in particular, changes in the protein fraction, biochemical transformations of lactose, which cause the accumulation of organic acids, the restructuring of the casein matrix and the formation of plastic properties of the cheese mass. It is shown that these processes are critical for obtaining a stable structure and a characteristic taste and aroma profile of suluguni cheese. A separate section is devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of using probiotic cultures in cheesemaking. Based on literary sources, the feasibility of using heat-resistant strains of probiotics, in particular Lactobacillus acidophilus, which are able to maintain viability in the technological process, which includes high-temperature processing of the cheese mass, is substantiated.
