The “Formula Food. 21st Century” exhibition which began on April 9, brought together dozens of St. Petersburg and Russian food producers. For two days, at the Tkachi Open Space they showed off the kind of food that isn’t available in your average store: they offered low-calorie desserts without sugar or butter, fruit crisps and even fried ice-cream. Chefs and food technicians taught how to turn food into works of art at the cooking show, and nutritionists gave special lectures explaining how to eat healthy, tasty and at a reasonable price. Alexander Ishevsky, Head of the Chair of Meat and Fish Processing and Refrigeration at ITMO university gave a lecture on how to ensure food security during an economic crisis, and Ekaterina Kurganova, a Masters student from the same Chair spoke about the use of sprouted grain for the production of functional foods.
Alexander Ishevsky says that calling food “functional” is popular now. Manufacturers like to specify this on the packaging, even though new yoghurt or kefir may be no different so different to before – since it already has useful bifidobacteria. Behind every “functional” product is many hours of scientists and technologists hard work. They need to develop a formula, investigate the physio-chemical and biochemical characteristics of the various components, their compatibility, shelf life and so on.
“Functionality is defined by the product’s purpose. For example, one of the things we have worked on is herbal tea that lowers blood pressure, this is its functional purpose. Another product assists with the function of the intestines; the third improves the condition of the liver and gallbladder and so on. Such products are often quite expensive but it usually pays off for the quality you’re getting.” – says Alexander Ishevsky
When answering the question of how to define high-quality functional products, representatives of ITMO University responded by putting on their stand samples and leaflets with a description of soluble casings for food products, a full range of “Terravita” teas, “Maxobion” soluble drinks, and a new one – a range of “Maxi-Muss” easy to make soups. These innovative products and technologies were developed by specialists from the International Scientific and Research Institute of Bioengineering, Chair of IT in the Fuel and Industry and Chair of Meat and Fish Processing and Refrigeration together with their partner MKS-V.
“Our products are made of natural ingredients, balanced amino acids, micronutrients and most importantly they retain their taste. If the consumer buys a gazpacho mixture, he gets gazpacho, if he makes meat soup, then he gets soup with real meat. Moreover, these products have a low glycemic index, so these mixtures are ideal for diabetics.” explains Alexander Ishevsky.
Detox teas and cocktails for the preservation of the musculoskeletal system based on dried milk formula, developed at ITMO University, have been awarded gold medals at the international exhibition “Bioindustry – 2015”.
