INNOVATIVE FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING A FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGE WITH BACTERICIDAL EFFECT UNDER CONDITIONS OF OPTIMIZED USE OF MINERAL WATER RESOURCES

Abstract

The development of innovative solutions aimed at improving the quality of food products based on underground mineral waters, under conditions of their rational use, will contribute to aligning the country with European legislative requirements regarding water resource management, as well as their environmentally oriented restoration and protection. One of the key directions for ensuring the conservation of mineral water resources and sources of fresh drinking water is the maximum utilization of their valuable nutritional components, especially in urbanized and densely populated areas. The use of immunomodulating additives in mineral waters will not only improve the quality indicators of beverages but also contribute to the optimization of groundwater resource use. Providing drinking products with immunomodulating properties and a bactericidal effect will supply the consumer’s body with a complex of vitamins and biologically active substances in a shorter time compared to conventional mineral water. The aim of this study is to analyze innovative food biotechnology for producing a functional beverage with a bactericidal effect under conditions of optimized use of mineral water resources. The object of the study is the biotechnology of producing an environmentally safe drinking product with immunomodulating properties. The subject of the research is the quality assessment of a mineral water–based drinking product with the addition of an immunomodulating plant extract to enhance the immune status of the population under martial law conditions. The study employed theoretical methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, and systematization of scientific sources and regulatory documents), empirical methods (assessment of drinking water quality indicators; determination of the sanitary-hygienic coli index; determination of microbial count; biotesting), as well as methods of interpretation and generalization of results, which made it possible to evaluate the main quality indicators of a functional immunomodulating beverage with a bactericidal effect. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the addition of an immunomodulating plant extract based on Echinacea purpurea and Citrus limon to impart functional properties to drinking mineral water of the BUVETTE brand, an important daily food product. This approach contributes to improving public health and the immune status of the population. The practical significance of the work lies in obtaining a functional immunomodulating beverage with a bactericidal effect under conditions of optimized use of mineral water resources, which contributes to the conservation of natural water resources. It has been determined that the quality of the original natural mineral water of the BUVETTE brand (LLC “Izumrud-LTD”) and the functional beverages with added bioactive plant extracts based on Echinacea purpurea and Citrus limon meet regulatory requirements according to organoleptic indicators and biotesting results. The addition of the immunomodulating plant extract improves the sanitary and hygienic quality indicators, as evidenced by a reduction in the microbial count of drinking beverages by more than 60% compared to the control, while coli-index values reach zero. This confirms the bactericidal effect of the beverages due to the presence of biologically active substances in plant extracts, which will contribute to enhancing immune response and reducing morbidity among consumers