The article presents the main achievements and developments of the Scientific and Practical Centre for Foodstuffs of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in 2017. There are reflected the results of scientific support and development of the processing branches of food industry, elaboration of new technologies and types of confectionery, fat and oil, fruit and vegetable, liqueurs and spirits, wine products, baby food, sugar, potato products, the elaboration of new types of products of functional use, equipment for food industry branches, development of new methods and implementation of quality and safety control of food products, raw materials, elaboration of technical normative legal acts and technological documents for all types of food products and carrying out certification tests of the products.

Development and improvement of methodology and practice of the sensory analysis in our country is necessary for improvement of quality and competitiveness of food products. In the article the principles of work of all sensory systems of the person are considered and the factors influencing their functioning are specified. The main requirements of the international, interstate and state standards to the selected assessors of the sensory analysis are provided; separate aspects of training of assessors in Republic of Belarus are covered.

The health benefits of dietary fibers have long been valued by people. An increase in the intake of dietary fiber leads to a reduction in the number of cardiovascular diseases, weight loss, and most importantly, improvement of the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Prebiotics are a class of dietary fiber that selectively stimulate the growth and biological activity of representatives of the protective microflora of the human intestine, help to maintain its normal composition and biological activity. Despite the fact that all prebiotics are food fibers, not all fibers are prebiotic. Prebiotics are basically carbohydrate compounds, mainly oligosaccharides, which are not digested in the small intestine of a person and reach the colon, where they are fermented by microflora. According to numerous studies, it has been found that substances such as inulin and oligofructose, lactulose and resistant starch correspond to all aspects of prebiotic determination, including stimulation of bifidobacterial growth. Other isolated carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing foods, including galacto-oligosaccharides, transgalactooligosaccharides, polydextrose, wheat dextrin, and gum arabic, also have a prebiotic effect.

At present, the inadequate intake of macro- and microelements, vitamins, fiber of high-grade proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and excessive intake of animal fats and carbohydrates into the body of the child is noted in the school nutrition structure. One way to correct the actual nutrition is to create and then include in the diets of schoolchildren foods enriched with scarce micronutrients. To substantiate the choice of basic food products in order to create functional products on their basis, a marketing research on consumer preferences of students in selecting food products in school canteens and buffets was conducted. Studies were conducted among pupils of grades 1-11 and their parents in educational institutions in Minsk. It is established that the most popular among the whole assortment of offered products in school canteens are flour confectionery, bakery, drinks, and water. Thus this product groups can be considered as promising for enrichment with the necessary nutrients.

The article continues a series of publications on a comparative analysis of the technological capacity of Belarusian wood of various types for the production of alcoholic beverages. The article discusses the possibility of usage of oak and pear wood of Belarusian origin in the production of alcoholic beverages. It is noted that the main selection criterion for the production of alcoholic beverages is the chemical composition of wood. The analysis of the initial component of investigated wood was conducted. The necessity of thermal treatment of wood for preparation of its extractive components for extraction was noted. Optimal methods of wood pre-treatment and dependencies of the accumulation of extractives and aromatic components according to type of wood were established. Organoleptic characteristics reported by extractive components of different types of wood were investigated, on the basis of which were given recommendations on directions of their use in the production of alcoholic beverages.

The article is devoted to the development of new varieties of functional cookies using a powder derived from tubers of sunchoke. The chemical composition of tubers of sunchoke is presented. The technology of powder production from tubers of sunchoke is developed. The expediency of its use in the elaboration of new types of functional cookies is justified. A rational dosage of powder obtained from tubers of sunchoke is established. The new varieties of cookies of functional use are developed: the flour, granulated sugar, 7 % of the powder obtained from the tubers of sunchoke, and 5 % sorbitol or fructose.

The article describes an innovative type of development of subcomplexes for the functional purpose of the food industry. The significance of innovation activity of sub-sets in the aspect of strengthening national food competitiveness was determined. The most important characteristics of subcomplexes of functional purpose are efficiency and competitiveness, reflecting the state and patterns of their development, which together constitute a single process of reproduction. The above qualitative characteristics allow researching the processes, methods and regularities in the formation of subcomplexes of a functional purpose.

The article shows a new direction in the development of the preferred number theory. A modern classification of the series of preferred numbers is suggested using the Fibonacci sequence. Based on the geometric number theory, mathematical models for the production of pasta have been developed, using the patterns of preferred numbers and their calculated justification in case studies. The use of a pattern of preferred numbers allows aligning the pressure and velocity of the spreading test. Practical recommendations for the selection of basic geometric and structural dimensions of the matrices have been made.

The device for treatment of grain with a liquid preservative contains a vertical contact chamber with means of loading, distribution and unloading of grain in a continuous flow and at least one preservative sprayer placed in the lower part of the chamber. The sprayer is constructed as a rod concentrator of longitudinal oscillations with a convex end surface and hollow sleeve embracing it with a gap for supply of a liquid preservative into the camera cavity which is connected to the ultrasound source. The sprayer contains an electret diffuser behind the end surface of the concentrator. Means of distribution of grain is also electret. The electret of the diffuser and the distribution means are multipolar. The device is designed for processing grain with liquid preservative in combination with electrical processing and ultrasonic irradiation. The device allows reducing the consumption of liquid preservative and increasing the reliability of grain sterilization.

The development and introduction to the food industry of modern high-performing and efficient devices for the disinfection of liquids, in particular drinking water, is an actual line of scientific research. At present, active research is being carried out all over the world on the properties of hydrodynamic heaters and their application in various fields of activity. The paper describes theoretical studies of fluid motion in a hydrodynamic heater used to prepare and improve the quality of drinking water. It is established that the principle of operation of the device is based on the conversion of the mechanical energy supplied to the rotor into the energy of the vortex motion of the liquid. The basic dissipation of energy in the device occurs in the region of the side gap, and the heat release in it can be increased by increasing the circumferential speed of the rotor blades and the flow of liquid in the working cavity.

The results of Libyan medicinal plants extracts study in terms of flavonoids content, identification and antimicrobial activity against food spoilage bacteria Pseudomonas are presented in this work. It has been shown that aqueous ethanol extractof Sage-leaved Rockrose (Cistus salviifolius) possesses the highest antibacterial activity, primarily due to it kempferol-3-β-D-glucopyranoside contain. Active fraction with kappeprole-3-β-D-glucopyranoside was isolated from Sage-leaved Rockrose (Cistus salviifolius) aqueous ethanol extractwith the use of Sephadex-LH60. The active fraction antimicrobial effect has been demonstrated on beef, pork, poultry and fish samples co-inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens or spontaneously grown microbiota.

The aim of the research is to develop original recipes for mulled wine based on fruit-berry and grape wine materials, produced using fruits and berries that grow on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. The optimal quantitative combination of blending components in order to obtain products with the most harmonious organoleptic properties was determined in the simulation of new beverage formulations. With the aim of selecting the optimal compositions of drinks produced their expert evaluation, which includes the following activities: the formation of the group of experts, preparation of expert questionnaires, a survey of experts processing of the obtained results and their mathematical analysis, namely the calculation of the degree of consistency of experts, coefficient of concordance, the Pearson statistics distribution and Friedman.