The effect of hawthorn concentrate on improving the functional properties of corn slices

Due to the increased interest in functional foods, more and more attention is being paid to the production of products with not only high nutritional value, but also high biological value. This research paper is devoted to the study of the effect of concentrate obtained from hawthorn berries on the quality and content of biologically active substances in slices of corn kernels. The aim of the work is to provide scientific evidence of the possibility of fortifying food products with natural ingredients to obtain a functional product with high antioxidant and preventive properties. The scientific and practical significance of the work lies in the use of hawthorn as a source of a natural antioxidant that helps improve health. In the course of the research, modern research methods were used, namely, the mass fraction of polyphenolic compounds, beta-carotene and flavonoids was determined by the spectrophotometric method, the organoleptic properties of the product by sensory assessment, the total composition of proteins, fats and carbohydrates by chemical methods, as well as the content ratio of individual bioflavonoids is determined by the chromatographic method. As a result, the mass fraction of polyphenols was 3.85%, flavonoids – 2.33%, beta-carotenoids – 0.344 mg/100 g. Corn slices enriched with hawthorn syrup showed high results in organoleptic parameters, and these products also had a high overall nutritional value. A significant proportion of rutin was found – 65.4±6.54 mg, quercetin – 28.2±2.82 mg, catechin – 1.676±0.08 mg and other antioxidants, which were enriched with hawthorn syrup. These indicators indicate a high biological activity of the developed product. Thus, the conducted research can contribute to the development of the production of functional food products and can be used for the prevention of chronic diseases. This result will help expand the domestic healthy food market and improve food safety.