Integral valorisation of sea buckthorn fruits through the development of new functional food products

ROMANIA

Research members:

Prof. PhD. Eng. Georgiana Gabriela CODINĂ

Prof. PhD. Eng. Mircea Adrian OROIAN

Lecturer PhD. Eng. Amelia BUCULEI

Lecturer PhD. Eng. Anca Mihaela GÂTLAN

Postdoctoral research members:

PhD. Eng. Ionuț AVRĂMIA

PhD. Eng. Ancuța CHETRARIU

Republic of Moldova

Research member:

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Eng. Natalia NETREBA

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Dr.Habil. Greta BĂLAN

Lecturer PhD. Eng. Daniela COJOCARI

Assist. Eng. Iuliana SANDU

PhD. Student members:

Eng. Irina DIANU

The project proposes capitalising on the expertise potential of the two research centres on a topic that requires the complementarities of the activities and research infrastructure existing in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The novelty and relevance of the project come in the international context of the circular economy and the fight against food waste, simultaneously with the reformulation of nutritious and functional food products by valorising a resource not yet fully exploited, namely sea buckthorn berries. The general objective of the project is to capitalise on the nutritional, antioxidant, and preservative potential of sea buckthorn fruits in the process of fortifying food products with original, scientifically based compositions, high nutritional value, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity. Obtaining food products of animal origin with low fat content and nutritionally enriched with valuable unsaturated fatty acids is also one of the objectives of processors in the profile industry.

The specific objectives of the projects are as follows:

O1. The identification, selection and evaluation of the quality of sea buckthorn fruits in order to establish the direction for valorisation

O2. Obtaining and evaluating the quality of ingredients from sea buckthorn berries: sea buckthorn juice, pomace (wet and dry powder), seeds (oil and powder), skins

O3. The designing and formulation of some dairy product: an alcoholic beverage from whey with sea buckthorn juice, ice cream and yogurt with the establishment of manufacturing recipes, production technology, finalization of parameters for each technological operation, optimizing recipes, optimizing obtaining technology

O4. Development of some meat products with low fat content by adding by-products from obtaining sea buckthorn juice (sea buckthorn oil, pomace): the establishment of manufacturing recipe, production technology, finalization of parameters for each technological operation optimizing recipes, optimizing obtaining technology

O5. Elaboration of technical documentation for the creation of new designed products and protection of intellectual property rights (patenting of new products and developed technologies)

Scientific reports will be added here

Papers presented to international conferences:

1.      Dabija, A., Macari A., Dianu I., Chetrariu, A., Dabija, D., Avrămia, I., Integrating Sea Buckthorn into Circular Food Systems: A Zero-Waste Approach to Functional Product Development, 4^th Edition of the Food Chemistry Conference “Reshaping Global Food Systems”, 14-16 October, Glasgow, United Kingdom

2.      Dabija, A., Oroian, M., Codină, G.G., Buculei, A., Dianu, I., Macari, A., Gâtlan, A.M., Netreba, N., Sandu, I., Balan, G., Cojocari, D., Chetrariu, A., Avrămia, I., Valorization on sea buckthorn through the development of innovative technologies for obtaining functional food, 10^th Edition of the International Conference “Biotechnologies, Present and Perspectives”, 17-19 October, Suceava, Romania

3.      Dianu, I., Macari, A., Dabija, A., Netreba, N., Sandu, I., Balan, G., Cojocari, D., Sea buckthorn pomace – a source of bioactive compounds for functional foods, 10^th Edition of the International Conference “Biotechnologies, Present and Perspectives”, 17-19 October, Suceava, Romania