Вибір гелеутворювачів для досягнення високої гомогенності концентрованого продукту з плодів айви (Cydonia oblonga) із застосуванням теорії графів

This study investigates the quality of a concentrated quince fruit product. Given the widespread use of concentrated fruit products, particularly quince jelly, in various climatic zones, as well as their potential as a medicinal and dietary product, assessing product quality using mathematical methods, particularly graph theory, is of interest in processing technology. Quince fruits, with their rich chemical composition, stand out among other fruits with their pleasant aroma. These volatile components migrate into the finished product, even after the raw materials are processed. Quince jelly is obtained by concentrating the juice, resulting in the formation of a colloidal system. However, manufacturing the product using gel technology, or more accurately, sol-gel technology, is determined by the added ingredients and environmental parameters. The advantage of this technology is that the resulting product has a more homogeneous appearance and a pleasant taste. The viscosity of the resulting product varies little across grades, averaging 2.17∙104 mPa∙s, and its Valent strength is 400. In terms of material flows, the consumption per ton of finished product was 1,328 kg. The structure of fruit jelly is formed by the addition of gelling agents to the juice. Therefore, this product is not considered the result of a strict sol-gel processing method, where the transition from sol to gel structure occurs through chemical reactions. In fruit jelly, the ingredients themselves create a three-dimensional network structure, but not a solid crystalline one. This network structure is formed by hydrolysis of pectin substances and the polycondensation of polygalacturonic acids, resulting in the formation of salt bridges.