Artificial foods. Artificial food Artificial products in our lives

Synthetic and artificial food Synthetic and artificial food products are products, usually of high protein value, created using new technological methods based on individual nutrients (proteins or their constituent amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, microelements, etc.); in appearance, taste and smell they usually imitate natural food products.

Synthetic food products (SFP) are products obtained from chemically synthesized food substances. Artificial food products (AFP) are products rich in complete protein, obtained on the basis of natural food substances by preparing a mixture of solutions or dispersions of these substances with food gelling agents and giving them a certain structure (structuring) and shape of specific food products.

For the production of IPP, proteins are used from two main sources: * proteins isolated from non-traditional natural food raw materials, the reserves of which are quite large in the world, vegetable (soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, cotton seeds, sesame, rapeseed, as well as cakes and meal from seeds these crops, peas, wheat gluten, green leaves and other green parts of plants) and animals (milk casein, low-value fish, krill and other marine organisms); * proteins synthesized by microorganisms, in particular various types of yeast.

In the USSR, extensive research on the problem of protein PPIs began in the 60-70s. on the initiative of Academician A. N. Nesmeyanov at the Institute of Organoelement Compounds (INEOS) of the USSR Academy of Sciences and developed in three main directions: the development of economically feasible methods for obtaining isolated proteins, as well as individual amino acids and their mixtures from plant, animal and microbial raw materials; creation of methods for structuring from proteins and their complexes with IPP polysaccharides, imitating the structure and appearance of traditional food products; research of natural food odors and artificial recreation of their compositions.

Protein granular caviar is prepared on the basis of the highly valuable milk protein casein, an aqueous solution of which is introduced together with a structure-forming agent (for example, gelatin) into cooled vegetable oil, resulting in the formation of “caviar”. Separating from the oil, the eggs are washed, tanned with tea extract to obtain an elastic shell, colored, then processed in solutions of acidic polysaccharides to form a second shell, salt and a composition of substances that provide taste and smell are added, and a delicious protein product is obtained, practically indistinguishable from natural grains. caviar.

Artificial meat, suitable for any type of culinary processing, is produced by extrusion (pressing through molding devices) and wet spinning of protein to transform it into fibers, which are then collected into strands, washed, impregnated with a gluing mass (gelling agent), pressed and cut into pieces.

In the USA, Japan, and Great Britain, a new industry has emerged producing a wide variety of food products (fried, jellied, ground and other types of meat, meat broths, cutlets, sausages, sausages and other meat products, bread, pasta and cereals, milk, cream, cheeses , candies, berries, drinks, ice cream, etc.). Fried potatoes, vermicelli, rice, egg and other non-meat products are obtained from mixtures of proteins with natural nutrients and gelling agents (alginates, pectins, starch). Tasting artificial caviar - A.N. Nesmeyanov

Functional additives for boiled sausages, frankfurters and poultry sausages produced according to STB. They improve fat emulsification, water binding, the structure of the finished product, and the color of minced meat; prevent oxidation, increase shelf life and reduce the cost of the finished product by increasing yield.

Artificial sweeteners - also called non-caloric sweeteners - are extremely sweet synthetic substances used in place of other sugars in food production and cooking because they contain no calories. Saccharin is currently produced from a purified substance found in coal tar. Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar, but is slightly bitter and has a metallic taste. It is not digested by the digestive tract and quickly leaves the body with urine. As a result, it does not add calories to the diet.

Five additives that are approved for use in Europe are banned in Russia. They should be remembered! E121 – citrus red dye-2, E123 – amaranth dye, E240 – formaldehyde preservative, E924a – flour and bread improver, E924b – flour and bread improver.

Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation 917 in August 1998, which approved the “Concept of state policy in the field of healthy nutrition of the population of the Russian Federation for the period until 2005.” According to this concept, the basis of the ongoing state policy is the development and implementation of comprehensive programs aimed at creating conditions that ensure the satisfaction of the needs of various population groups for rational, healthy nutrition, taking into account their traditions, habits, economic situation and in accordance with the requirements of medical science. The adoption of this program was largely the result of many years of research by specialists from the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences of the main violations in the nutritional status of the population of Russia: · excessive consumption of animal fats · excessive consumption of sugar and salt · deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids · deficiency of complete animal proteins · deficiency of most vitamins · deficiency of minerals substances - calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus · deficiency of microelements - iodine, fluorine, selenium, zinc · severe deficiency of dietary fiber (fiber) and starch.

The consequences of identified violations of the nutritional status of the Russian population may include: · a progressive increase in the number of adults with reduced body weight and young children with reduced anthropometric indicators; · widespread prevalence of various forms of obesity (among people over 30 years old - 55% of the population); · frequent identification among the population of persons with a reduced immune status, various forms of immunodeficiency, reduced resistance to infections; · increase in the frequency of nutrition-dependent diseases such as iron deficiency anemia, thyroid diseases, caries, osteoporosis, arthritis; · an increase in the proportion of people with high risk factors for developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cerebral atherosclerosis, and cancer.

There is a worldwide, global document - CODEX Alimentarius, "Food Code", which regulates many aspects of nutrition. It was adopted in 1962 as a result of the joint efforts of the World Health Organization and the International Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and has been revised and supplemented several times since then. Law “On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population of the Russian Federation” (the new version of the law was adopted by the State Duma in 1999). Subsequently, Federal Law 29-FZ “On the quality and safety of food products”, adopted by the State Duma in December 1999, began to play the same important role.

Date of publication or update 08/14/2017

Since ancient times, people have been occupied by the problem of nutrition. Hunger has always been a frequent visitor to the inhabitants of our planet. And now the problem of nutrition has not yet found a complete solution. The United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the UN International Food Organization (FAO) note that currently 60-80 percent of the world's population (mostly in developing countries) suffers from food insecurity. In the FAO report "The State of Food and Agriculture Production 1966" It was pointed out that while the world population increased by 70 million people annually, there was no simultaneous increase in food production. In contrast, in all developing countries except the Middle East, it fell by 2 percent overall and by 4 to 5 percent per capita.

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that in the last two centuries, population growth on the planet has reached unprecedented proportions, acquiring, according to the definition of the UN and WHO, the character of a “demographic explosion.”

According to one UN estimate, in 2000 there will be 7.4 billion people living on earth: 1.4 billion in industrialized countries and 6 billion in all others. This means: in 2000, industrial areas will account for only 19-20 percent of the world's population, compared to 36 percent in 1900 and 33 percent in 1930. In 1970, this share decreased to 27 percent.

Already, residents of the countries of the South American continent, Africa and Asia are extremely insufficiently provided with animal protein - each resident on average receives 26.9 and 2 grams of protein, respectively (the norm is 50 grams). But in order to maintain at least the current level of nutrition by the year 2000, all world food supplies must be increased by 4-7 times, and animal products by 9 times.

Meanwhile, calculations show that it will become almost impossible to obtain such a quantity of products naturally by the beginning of the next century. Analyzing international statistics on the prospects for the production of basic food products, we can say that under the most favorable conditions, world grain production by 1985 will exceed the current level by barely one third. The production of dairy products will also increase slightly, and the production of meat, eggs, oilseeds, and fish production will only double. Such an increase in food production will obviously not be able to radically provide the population of developing countries with protein. Moreover, in the future it will make up at least 4/6 of the entire population of the planet.

Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences A. Pokrovsky and many foreign scientists consider providing future generations with nutritious food products among the most important strategic problems in the development of the productive forces of human society, one of the most pressing social and economic problems of our time. It is also reflected in the list of main directions for the development of science, which includes 10 points that future researchers should consider first. The task of finding effective ways to increase food production takes 3rd place, second only to the issues of improving education and methods of educating the younger generation and the problem of preserving peace.

Now it has attracted the attention of not only individual scientists, but also many international organizations that are trying to solve this important problem through comprehensive efforts. FAO specialists, for example, compiled the so-called Indicative Plan for the Development of World Agriculture. This plan allows us to hope for solving at least the energy deficit in people's nutrition. It is much more difficult to overcome protein deficiency, the global shortage of which today is about 40-60 million tons.

Scientific centers in many countries around the world have engaged in an active search for new, unusual sources of protein that would make it possible to quickly obtain cheap, biologically complete protein, which in its properties does not differ from proteins of animal origin. Such a source, for example, is various non-commercial fish containing high-value animal protein. But this path is limited by the “ceiling” of its catch - it cannot exceed 200 million tons per year, or - in terms of protein - 30 million tons of additional protein. In addition, in some areas of the World Ocean there is already “overfishing,” so to speak, of certain varieties of fish, which could lead to their complete disappearance.

Algae can also be an effective source of protein. But their protein lacks the most important essential amino acids, which cannot be synthesized in the body and come only from animal proteins. This greatly reduces its biological value. In addition, for algae it is necessary to organize special “greenhouse” reservoirs, which is also associated with significant material costs. Open reservoirs depend entirely on the weather. All this limits the widespread production of algae for food purposes.

The most popular sources of protein are oilseeds - soybeans, sunflower seeds, peanuts and others, which contain up to 30 percent high-quality protein. In terms of the content of some essential amino acids, it approaches the protein of fish and chicken eggs and overlaps the protein of wheat. Soy protein is already widely used in the USA, England and other countries as a valuable food material.

The amount of dietary protein can also be increased through microbiological synthesis, which has attracted special attention in recent years. Microorganisms are extremely rich in protein - it makes up 70-80 percent of their weight. In addition, in the form of by-products they produce various biologically active hormones, antibiotics, vitamins and other substances that are difficult to synthesize using conventional chemical methods. An equally important issue that largely determines the profitability of new mass production of protein is the rate of its synthesis.

Microorganisms synthesize protein approximately 10-100 thousand times faster than animals.

Here it is appropriate to give a classic example: a 400-kilogram cow produces 400 grams of protein per day, and 400 kilograms of bacteria - 40 thousand tons. Naturally, obtaining 1 kg of protein by microbiological synthesis using appropriate industrial technology will require less money than obtaining 1 kg of animal protein. Moreover, the technological process is much less labor-intensive than agricultural production, not to mention the exclusion of seasonal influences of weather - frosts, rains, hot winds, droughts, illumination, solar radiation, etc.

Microorganisms are constantly present in the human intestines and food products, and the body actively uses them.

Why not assume the possibility of complete adaptation of the human body to such a protein. Experimental studies by domestic and foreign scientists, as well as our own, confirm this idea. True, the experiments are still extremely few in number, they are exploratory in nature and therefore do not yet provide grounds for the practical implementation of their results.

The most promising microorganisms are yeasts. People have been using them as a food supplement for thousands of years. They were widely used in feeding armies in the first and second world wars. This once again confirms the correctness of the thought. One of the reasons that hindered the cultivation of yeast in the diet of the population was the high cost of their production. This important reason was eliminated by the possibility of growing yeast on paraffin hydrocarbons, discovered by the famous German scientist Felix Just in 1952. Protein from such yeast is quite cheap. By using just 2 percent of global oil production to grow microorganisms, it is possible to completely cover the protein deficit—providing enough protein to feed 2 billion people for a whole year.

It is now known that microorganisms can be grown on a wide variety of nutrient media: gases, paraffins, oil, waste from the coal, chemical, food, wine and vodka, and woodworking industries. The economic advantages of their use are obvious. So, a kilogram of oil processed by microorganisms gives a kilogram of protein, and, say, a kilogram of sugar gives only 500 grams of protein. The amino acid composition of yeast protein is practically no different from that obtained from microorganisms grown on conventional carbohydrate media, and the most important essential amino acid tryptophan, which is deficient in most foods, is twice as abundant in “gas” (methane-grown) yeast as in egg whites , milk, fish and meat. But it is amino acids, these primary building blocks from which any protein in living nature is built, that determine the biological value of protein for an animal organism.

Biological tests of preparations from yeast grown on hydrocarbons, which were carried out both in our country and abroad, revealed the complete absence of any harmful effects on the body of the test animals. Experiments were carried out on many generations of tens of thousands of laboratory and farm animals.

It turned out, however, that animals return only 10-20 percent of the protein they consumed in the form of meat. The rest is irretrievably lost. Human protein absorption can reach 98 percent. Therefore, a study began on the possibility of using yeast protein directly in human nutrition. But from the position of a nutritionist (specialist in the field of nutrition), whole yeast is just a semi-finished product that requires further processing. It is possible that they may contain residual amounts of the nutrient medium that are harmful to health, as well as other, not yet isolated substances, the effect of which on the body may be unfavorable. In addition, in its unprocessed form, yeast contains nonspecific lipids and amino acids, biogenic amines, polysaccharides and nucleic acids, and their effect on the body is still poorly understood.

Therefore, it is proposed to isolate protein from yeast in a chemically pure form. Freeing it from nucleic acids has also become simple. Similar studies are underway in many countries. At the Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the USSR Academy of Sciences, under the leadership of Academician A. Nesmeyanov and Professor S. Rogozhin, an original technology for obtaining protein isolated from yeast has been developed. The drug has high nutritional value, which is confirmed by a number of special studies, and most importantly, it is completely free of the impurities that we talked about.

At the Department of Food Hygiene of the 1st Moscow Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor Medical Institute named after I.M. Sechenov, under the guidance of Professor K. Petrovsky and Doctor of Medical Sciences A. Ignatiev, the author of the article began in 1972 research into the protein value of this drug. And it was shown that in terms of chemical composition and balance of amino acids, digestibility in the gastrointestinal tract, it differs little from the best proteins of animal origin.

And after including the deficient amino acid methionine in it, it became closer in value to milk protein. Adding small amounts of the drug to low-nutrient foods (dry potatoes and pasta) increases their protein value. In addition, at the Department of Food Technology of the Institute of National Economy (Professor E. Kozmina) and at the Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Director Academician A. Nesmeyanov), we prepared artificial pasta based on this preparation. Their protein value is 183 percent higher than that of commercial premium wheat pasta.

In appearance, smell and taste, they were also practically no different from the product we are all familiar with.

Using conventional technological lines for the production of synthetic fibers, it is possible to obtain long threads from artificial proteins, which, after impregnation with formative substances, giving them the appropriate taste, color and smell, can imitate any protein product. Artificial meat (beef, pork, various types of poultry), milk, cheeses and other products have already been obtained in this way. They have already undergone extensive biological testing on animals and humans and have left laboratories on store shelves in the USA, England, India, Asia and Africa. In England alone, their production reaches approximately 1,500 tons per year. Interestingly, the protein portion of school lunches in the United States is already allowed to be replaced by 30 percent with artificial meat based on soy protein.

The artificial meat used in feeding patients at the Richmond Hospital (USA) was highly praised by the chief nutritionist. True, when patients were given entrecote made from artificial meat, they complained about its doughiness, although they did not know or even guess that they were not receiving a natural product. And when the meat was served in the form of finely chopped pieces, there were no complaints. The service staff also consumed artificial meat without realizing it was fake.

They perceived it as natural beef. Hospital doctors also noted the positive effect of the diet on the health of patients, especially those with atherosclerosis. The composition of such meat necessarily includes specially processed artificial protein, a small amount of egg albumin, fats, vitamins, mineral salts, natural dyes, flavors, etc., which makes it possible to “sculpt” a product with the desired properties, taking into account the physiological characteristics of the organism for which product intended. This is especially important in the diet of children and the elderly, sick and convalescent, when it is necessary to limit nutrition for a number of food components, which is very difficult to do using traditional products.

Such meat can be cut, frozen, canned, dried, or directly used to prepare various dishes.

After conducting studies on adults and children, Riccardo Bressani and co-authors concluded that the nutritional value of artificial meat is approximately 80 percent of the nutritional value of milk. Children readily ate such meat, and it did not have any negative effect on them.

Artificial black caviar, created in the USSR (at the Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the USSR Academy of Sciences), is highly appreciated by experts, which in appearance and taste is almost impossible to distinguish from a natural product. Its biological value is quite high, since the chemical composition of caviar fully meets the requirements for products by modern nutritional science. Currently, industrial production of caviar is being established in Moscow. A workshop with a capacity of 500 kg of artificial caviar per day has already been built.

Thus, a lot of theoretical and practical data have now accumulated - objective prerequisites for further expansion and deepening of these studies. UN and WHO experts predict that the consumption of meat and milk substitutes by the end of this century will amount to about 30 percent of all protein. And, if it’s too early to talk about artificial chops, then synthetic lysine and methionine - these most important, essential and often deficient amino acids in human and animal nutrition - are produced in tens of thousands of tons.

Industrial production of vitamins has also been established.

“All this means that humanity has already entered the age of non-agricultural production of food substances,” said Soviet scientist, academician I. Petryanov. In the near future, the production of artificial food abroad will become one of the leading industries.

This is evidenced by the fact that the range of these products there is constantly expanding. For example, annual revenue from the sale of all plant-based alternatives in the United States reaches $30 million. Food industry economists predict that total sales of artificial foods will increase by at least $2 billion a year by 1980. Already, about 35 percent of the cream that Americans add to their coffee is not natural. Recently, “egg” powder made from soy protein has appeared in stores. Such products cost four to five times less than natural ones. The issue of providing artificial food products to the population of our country in the near future is not relevant.

The nutritional structure of our people will improve mainly due to increased agricultural productivity and the development of new methods of preserving foods, the losses of which in the world are enormous and reach half of their total production.

Candidate of Medical Sciences B. Sukhanov.

No matter what anyone says, natural food is bad. Very bad. I don't see any reason why people even touch it. Well, you yourself know its shortcomings:
- expensive (especially in restaurants, especially in Moscow)
- spoils quickly
- not useful (and if you’re unlucky, then dangerous)
- does not allow weight control
- you need to eat a lot to get full.
- has an indefinite taste
- causes mass hysteria (like cooking shows)
- ....
and I’m not even talking about how much money is poured into agriculture, which is so expensive and so ineffective.

But for a long time there has been normal, balanced artificial food that does not have all these disadvantages. Humanity should have switched to it a long time ago. But since this hasn’t happened yet, I’ll have to explain what’s what. Maybe at least someone will listen and change their diet.

I think, in general, everyone understands what artificial food is: it’s something that didn’t grow in garden beds, didn’t eat grass, that was made from start to finish in a laboratory, adding whatever they wanted. But everyone wants to add different things: Coca-Cola producers add all sorts of harmful things, but there are also companies that, on the contrary, produce healthy food.
Such a company was the transnational company Abbott, which, in addition to medical equipment, produces artificial food Glucerne.

Glucerne is similar to a regular juice packet. But there’s no water inside (like in Dobry juice, for example). Inside is a delicious, balanced drink that contains all the nutrients the body needs. I drank a packet and immediately got a bunch of vitamins and minerals that you can’t get with any hamburger. Here's what's there:

This time.
Secondly, Glucerne was developed back in 1990 as a food for diabetics. Therefore, it has a low Glycemic Index, i.e. The sugar level rises very slowly after eating it. This is not only necessary for diabetics; 90% of people are recommended to eat foods with a low glycemic index.
But the most interesting thing is that due to Slow Release technology (slowly digestible carbohydrates), after drinking one sachet a feeling of satiety sets in, i.e. I don't feel like eating! Everyone knows that one of the reasons for overeating is the fact that the feeling of fullness when eating regular food comes too late, when we have already eaten more than normal. Look at the graphs of “hunger feelings” and remember yourself:


If we add to the absence of overeating the fact that the sachet contains only 206 kcal, and one sachet replaces one meal, then this diet turns out to be quite good: 618 kcal (with three meals a day) instead of 2000 or more. Of course, manufacturers do not recommend switching completely to Glucerne, but only talk about consuming it instead of breakfast or lunch. But it seemed to me that this was one of the “side effects - pregnancy” series and I decided to try to eat only it for several months. Every day I measured my weight on a Withings scale, which produces weight charts. And this is what happened:

I won't even comment. Let me just say that I am not a fan of fasting and cannot stand it when my stomach growls. However, during these two months of consuming Glucerne, I really did not feel hungry or uncomfortable from the emptiness in my stomach.

Also from personal experience: it’s convenient to take with you on trips instead of a ton of groceries, it’s convenient to have a snack on the go, it’s cheap to have a snack in the center of Moscow.

Well, besides, it's delicious. There are three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry. Like a cocktail.

In total, we have: healthy, balanced, dietary, practical, convenient, tasty, stylish trendy youth

What kind of natural food, one might ask, can do this? And why is it needed at all, if you can buy a jar of “juice” and forget about shopping, cooking, and overeating?
People! Switch to normal, artificial food!
Well, or try to switch, at least. Or just try it.

For bores, I give a link to a more scientific description of the action of glucerne. For special nerds, I give a link to

Man has long mastered the technology of isolating pure protein from soybeans, cotton, rapeseed, sunflowers, peanuts, rice, corn, peas, wheat, green leaves, potatoes, hemp and many other plants. However, these are incomplete plant proteins that do not contain some essential amino acids. And in nutrition, a person needs sufficient amounts of complete animal protein. But where can I get it?

And man has learned, with the help of yeast, bacteria, unicellular algae and microorganisms, to convert carbohydrates, alcohols, paraffins, grass and even oil into cheap, complete food protein containing all the essential amino acids. Refining just 2% of the world's annual oil production can produce up to 25 million tons of protein - enough to feed 2 billion people for a year.

And this method of processing available cheap raw materials into scarce animal protein using microorganisms is called microbiological synthesis. The technology for producing microbial biomass as a source of valuable food proteins was developed back in the early 1960s. Then a number of European companies drew attention to the possibility of growing microbes on a substrate such as petroleum hydrocarbons to obtain the so-called. protein of unicellular organisms (SOO). A technological triumph was the production of a product consisting of dried microbial biomass grown in methanol. The process took place continuously in a fermenter with a working volume of 1.5 million liters.

However, due to rising prices for oil and its products, this project became economically unprofitable, temporarily giving way to the production of soybean and fishmeal. By the end of the 1980s, the BW production plants were dismantled, which put an end to the rapid but short period of development of this branch of the microbiological industry.

Biomass from waste

Another process turned out to be more promising - the production of mushroom biomass and complete mushroom protein mycoprotein using as a substrate a mixture of petroleum paraffins (very cheap waste from the oil refining industry), vegetable carbohydrates from food waste, mineral fertilizers and poultry waste.

The task of industrial microbiologists was to create mutant forms of microorganisms that are dramatically superior to their natural counterparts, i.e.

obtaining superproducers of complete protein from raw materials. Great progress has been made in this area: for example, it was possible to obtain microorganisms that synthesize proteins up to a concentration of 100 g/l (for comparison: wild-type organisms accumulate proteins in quantities calculated in milligrams). As microbial protein producers, the researchers chose two types of all-consuming microorganisms that can feed even on oil paraffins: the filamentous fungus Endomycopsis fibuligera and the yeast-like fungus Candida tropicalis (one of the causative agents of candidiasis and intestinal dysbiosis in humans). Each of these producers forms about 40% of the complete protein.

Scientists have also selected conditions for pre-treatment of waste added to oil paraffins for optimal growth of fungal microflora. Chicken manure is diluted and hydrolyzed under acidic conditions, and brewer's grains are also hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid. After such treatment, no foreign microorganisms that were in the waste survive and do not interfere with the growth of microscopic fungi sown on the substrate.

Technologists also selected the conditions for filtering the multiplied biomass of microorganisms from the nutrient medium. All tests performed have shown that the resulting product is non-toxic, which means that complete microbial protein can be obtained from a mixture of petroleum paraffins, chicken manure and vegetable carbohydrate raw materials. Thus, at the same time, a way has been found to effectively dispose of manure, which is one of the main problems in the development of industrial poultry farming. The result is an artificial “cycle of nutrients in nature” - what comes out of the stomach will return to it.

The next task was that the proteins isolated from fungi grown on the substrate and supplied to food processing plants under the name “biomass” were purified and deodorized, i.e. They are tasteless and odorless, colorless and are a powder, paste or viscous solution.

Designing food

There are hardly any people who want to eat them in this form, despite all the advantages in terms of nutritional and biological value. Therefore, at the first stage, they tried to simply add isolated tasteless proteins to traditional meat, and not only meat, products to enrich their amino acid composition.

But this path did not allow us to radically solve the protein problem. And scientists decided to create and construct artificial food products that do not differ in appearance from the traditional products we are accustomed to, based on the use of existing protein resources. This approach made it possible to regulate the composition, properties and degree of digestibility of the resulting food analogues, which is of particular importance in the organization of children's, therapeutic and preventive nutrition. And the use of special technology and equipment makes it possible to recreate the structure, appearance, taste, smell, color and all other properties , imitating a familiar product. In short, food engineering involves isolating protein from raw materials of various natures and converting it mechanically into an analogue of a food product with a given composition and properties.

At the end of the USSR (in 1989), the annual production of artificial protein substances exceeded 1 million tons. In the conditions of modern Russia, the high profitability of such productions has made it possible to sharply increase the production of protein surrogates and now replace almost all meat in industrial minced meat products. Artificial meat products are produced in several ways, allowing one to obtain products that imitate meat, chopped cutlets, steaks, lump semi-finished products, sausages, frankfurters, ham and much more. Of course, it is impossible to create an indistinguishable imitation of a piece of meat - its structure is too complex. Another thing is minced meat and products made from it - sausages, frankfurters, sausages, etc. The technique and technology for producing meat analogues varies depending on the type of product. We will only tell you about some of the most interesting ones. In one method, a solution of isolated protein is fed under high pressure through a spinneret into a bath of a special acid-salt solution, where the protein coagulates, hardens, strengthens and undergoes orientation stretching, resulting in a protein thread.

Fillers containing binders, food (amino acids, vitamins, fats, micro- and macroelements), flavoring, aromatic and coloring substances are added to the fiber. The resulting fibers are grouped into bundles, formed into plates, cubes, pieces, granules by pressing and sintering when heated.

According to the experience of the textile industry, the resulting protein threads can be converted into a fiber-like food material, which, after swelling in water and cutting into pieces, differs little from natural meat products, but still different... It is not yet possible to reliably fake the complex structure of a piece of meat.

But in the production of meat products for sausages and minced meat products, they use another technology that allows them to optimally hide the fake: animal and hydrogenated vegetable fats, spices, synthetic flavorings, aromatic substances and artificial dyes are introduced into jellies obtained by heating concentrated protein solutions. Modern chemistry is capable of creating a taste and smell of any product that, even by experts, is indistinguishable from natural ones. The liquid mass is injected into the sausage casing, boiled, fried and cooled. An analogue of ready-made sausage mince is completely indistinguishable from the natural product in taste, smell, appearance, and structure.

To obtain artificial meat products with a porous structure, highly concentrated protein solutions are mixed with fillers and pumped under pressure at high temperatures into an environment with a lower temperature and pressure.

Due to the boiling of the liquid part, a product with a loose-porous structure is obtained. Some people are frightened by the very term “artificial” or “synthetic” meat, since it supposedly creates associations with something made of nylon or polyester. It should be noted that both the main components and all fillers used in the production of meat product analogues are harmless and balanced in the ratio of various essential nutritional components in accordance with physiological standards.

Scientific contribution of the USSR

You might be interested to know that in addition to artificial meat products, artificial milk and dairy products (based on emulsions of cheap vegetable fats), cereals, pasta, “potato” chips, “berry” and “fruit” products, and “nut” butters are produced. for confectionery products, like oysters and even black granular caviar. (In particular, on cans of artificial condensed “milk” they write not “Condensed Milk”, but “Condensed Milk” - be careful when choosing; look on the labels for instructions about the presence of vegetable fats, which cannot be in real dairy products.). Although the volume of production of artificial food products is constantly increasing, this does not mean that analogues of meat products will soon replace natural products.

Obviously, there will be (and is already happening) the distribution of these types of meat products in the diets of rich and poor, primarily through more complete and more rational processing of protein waste from the meat industry into cheaper artificial meat products. The production of food analogues is a relatively young area, but it is already generating enormous profits and providing food to billions of consumers around the world, including Russia. Moreover, it was the USSR, which ruined its agriculture, that made a special scientific and technological contribution to the development of this new branch of the food industry in the second half of the twentieth century.

Nowadays people often talk about “artificial food”. Although this term does not mean obtaining food through chemical reactions. The aim is to give natural protein products, such as oilseeds, legumes and grains, the taste and appearance of traditional foods, including delicacies.

For example, in France, plant-based meat has long been produced from plant materials. The technology for its production involves isolating proteins from soybeans and forming fibers from them, from which layers can then be made, similar in structure to meat. After adding fats and components that impart meaty flavor, these products can be used as substitutes for animal meat in the human diet.

In our country, at the Institute of Organoelement Compounds named after. A.N. Nesmeyanova has been studying the problems of taste and smell of food for a long time. Currently, any smell can be synthesized here: onion, garlic, banana, pineapple, ham, meat broth, etc.. At this Institute, artificial products have been created that can make up a good lunch menu: black caviar, salmon, various jellied dishes, chicken soup, meat and fish broth, various types of marmalade, juices.

In the USA, for example, analogues of dairy spreads, desserts, cheeses, cottage cheese, and fermented milk products are very popular. To whiten coffee, analogues of cream are widely used, as well as an ice cream substitute - “mellorin”, obtained from vegetable oils. The approximate composition of whitening cream is: 0.8-1% soybean protein, 10% hydrogenated vegetable oil, 15% sugar syrup, about 1% food-grade surfactants, some salts and about 75% water.

“Artificial food” is cheaper and is prepared or ready to eat. Its production allows solving the problems of some scarce products. Try to understand the essence of the chemical and biochemical processes occurring in the body with those substances that enter it with food; study information about the composition of each product, the ratio of the main components. Especially choose the optimal diet.

Finally, pay attention to food package labels. It will tell you what nutritional supplements the food you buy contains.

Food additives contribute to the safety of the product (preservatives), give it aroma (flavoring agents), the desired color (for example, the appetizing red color of ham and boiled sausages is given by the ill-fated sodium nitrate), etc. Some of them are produced from natural products - vegetables and fruits, sugar, vinegar, alcohol. But many food additives are the result of the work of chemists and are produced from synthetic substances.

On imported food products, such additives are marked with a three-digit number. You need to know what specific information the index marking carries:

E 100-E 182 - dyes

E 200-E 299 - preservatives. Substances such as salt, sugar, vinegar are not included in this labeling group. Information about these preservatives is written separately on labels without alphanumeric indexing.

E 300-E 399 - substances that slow down the processes of fermentation and oxidation in food products (for example, rancidity of butter).

E 400-E 499 - stabilizers. These additives provide food products with long-term preservation of the consistency inherent in each of them: the familiar consistency of the famous “Bird's Milk” cake, marmalades, jellies, marshmallows, yoghurts, etc.

E 500-E 599 emulsifiers. These substances make it possible to maintain the uniform distribution of the dispersed phase in the medium, to maintain, for example, emulsions such as nectars, vegetable oils, beer and others in a homogeneous system, and to prevent the formation of sediments in them.

E 600-E 699 - flavorings, i.e. compounds that enhance the taste of food products (drinks, creams, sweets, dry juices)

E 900-E 999 - anti-flaming agents that prevent flour, granulated sugar, salt, soda, citric acid, dough leavening agents from caking, as well as substances that prevent the formation of foam in drinks.