The research purpose and the formulation of research questions are key elements of a scientific article, as they define the direction of the study and demonstrate its scientific novelty. This article examines the main principles and recommendations for the proper formulation of research purpose and questions, analyzes common mistakes, and provides examples of correct and incorrect formulations. The material is intended for authors seeking to improve the quality of their publications and facilitate the perception of their work by readers, reviewers, and editors.

Introduction: Exopolysaccharides are high molecular weight compounds consisting of monosaccharide residues and their derivatives, which have biological activity and play a protective role in physiological processes. The search for strains of lactic acid bacteria producing exopolysaccharides is a promising area of research due to their proven positive effect on the rheological properties of fermented food products, as well as human health.

Purpose: To study the ability of lactic acid bacteria strains from the collection of FGANU NIIHP to produce exopolysaccharides, as well as to compare different methods of their determination - gravimetric, phenol-sulfuric acid Dubois method, anthrone reagent method and titrimetric Bertrand method.

Materials and Methods: To determine the ability to produce exopolysaccharides, cultures of lactic acid bacteria were cultured on 12% malt mash for 48 hours at the optimum temperature for each strain. After protein removal and dialysis, the amount of exopolysaccharides was determined in the culture fluid by different methods.

Results: It was found that all the collection strains formed exopolysaccharides in different amounts. The strains producing the highest amount of exopolysaccharides were identified as L.amilolyticus-2, L. plantarumA-63(d), L.amilolyticus-1, L.brevis-78(d), L. paracasei-6. The yield of the product containing exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria ranged from 7 to 14.4 mg in 1 ml of culture liquid. The results of the study allowed us to conclude the correctness of Dubois method for estimating the content with respect to exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria.

Conclusion: The conducted studies confirm the ability of strains of lactic acid bacteria, from the collection of FGANU NIIHP, to produce exopolysaccharides. The correctness of the Dubois method for the determination of exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria was established.

Introduction: Nutritional support is a vital component of the basic treatment for various pathological conditions. However, the current development of formulas for enteral nutrition products is carried out in a fragmented and case-specific manner, lacking a unified methodology. This makes each development unique and significantly expensive. An analysis of existing approaches to the design of enteral nutrition (EN) products, considering the specificity of their use, has revealed several issues related to their applicability. In this context, given the current geopolitical situation, the development of a unified approach to creating a range of specialized products, including enteral nutrition (EN), has become a pressing challenge.

Results: The article examines the main types of product design: basic food combinatorics, digital profiling, and extended digital profiling that accounts for nutrient transformations during production. Their positive and negative aspects in relation to EN are identified, and a new approach to the design of EN products is proposed. A novel conceptual approach to EN product design is introduced, based on comprehensive rational digital profiling that considers modular principles of technological transformation of ingredients into the final product.

Conclusion: The current mechanism for designing EN products does not allow for the unification of their development processes. This creates a risk of insufficient supply of such products to domestic healthcare in the context of the withdrawal of foreign developers from the domestic market. The proposed conceptual approach provides a preliminary solution to this problem, including its applicability to food combinatorics. This development serves as a foundational direction for further scientific research in this area.

Introduction: In the modern world, the growing interest in healthy eating stimulates the development of products with improved nutritional properties. Whole-grain wheat flour, enriched with dietary fiber, vitamins, and micronutrients, combined with sesame flour, rich in plant proteins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, has significant potential. However, the improvement of technologies for products based on such mixtures remains insufficiently studied and requires further research.

Purpose: To investigate the potential of using a mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours in creating new types of confectionery, culinary, and pasta products, such as cottage cheese cookies, carrot cake, and homemade noodles.

Materials and Methods: The study focused on a mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours and products such as cottage cheese cookies, carrot cake, and homemade noodles made from the composite wheat-sesame flour in various ratios. The quality of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours was assessed based on physicochemical and organoleptic properties. Standard methodologies were used to evaluate the sensory qualities of the test products.

Results: Rational recipes for nutritional products such as cottage cheese cookies, carrot cake, and homemade noodles made from the studied mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours were developed. It was found that during the storage of cottage cheese cookies for the first 10 days, the acid numbers in all samples remained practically unchanged. However, by the 20th day, an increase in acid numbers was observed in the samples. In samples made from the mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours, the hydrolytic breakdown products continued to increase, which was reflected in the rise of their acid number. It was established that homemade noodles made from the mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours retained their shape and characteristic sesame flavor well. It was shown that noodles containing 9% whole-grain sesame flour in the mixture can be recommended for practical use.

Conclusion: The obtained results can be utilized in the food industry to expand the range of fortified flour-based products from a mixture of whole-grain wheat and sesame flours. Recipes for cottage cheese cookies, carrot cake, and homemade noodles have been developed. The data contribute to the development of health-preserving technologies and expand the practical scope in the production of high-nutritional-value products.

Introduction: Glutathione is a peptide-based antioxidant whose demand in the body increases during stress. A deficiency in glutathione can later negatively impact the body’s antioxidant defense system. An insufficiently explored dietary approach to replenishing glutathione levels involves the use of fermented foods. Identifying the precise mechanisms and conditions of glutathione synthesis by microorganisms, as well as assessing the efficacy of fermented foods for increasing glutathione levels, will enable better understanding and management of glutathione accumulation processes, enhancing the organism’s response to stress factors.

Purpose: To delineate the boundaries of the subject area related to optimal parameters for glutathione synthesis by microorganisms, strains actively producing glutathione, and their applications in food production, medicine, and animal husbandry.

Materials and Methods: The review is based on the PRISMA-ScR protocol. The search considered articles published between 1993 and 2023 in the Scopus and RSCI databases. Out of 3482 publications deemed relevant based on keywords, 49 met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The analyzed publications revealed key trends influencing glutathione production: microorganism species, cultivation conditions, presence of stress factors, and methods for assessing antioxidant effects on living systems. Extracted data partially align with previous reviews regarding the mechanisms of glutathione synthesis but are enriched with applied aspects, including species diversity of microorganisms, antiviral applications, use in food production, animal husbandry, and agriculture. Identified limitations include a lack of standardization in the concept of "antioxidant activity" and the absence of regulated criteria for its evaluation.

Conclusion: The obtained data serve as a resource for developing reproducible strategies to increase glutathione levels using microorganisms and to regenerate the antioxidant potential of living systems by incorporating fermented foods into the diet. Particular attention should be paid to preserving natural symbioses of microorganisms in the presence of glutathione, identifying glutathione homologs in plant rhizobia, and expanding the methodological and instrumental base for assessing antioxidant activity, as current scientific literature provides insufficient information on these issues.