INTRODUCTION
At present, the production of structured products based on dairy raw materials is one of the most dynamically developing industrial sectors [6]. The quality of dairy products, along with other parameters, is determined by their structure and consistency, which depend on the proper implementation of the production process. The development of modern technological prin-ciples of food production is associated with the search for universal methods for impacting multicom-ponent aqueous systems; one of these methods is the use of food structure-stabilizing agents [7]. The role of structure-stabilizing agents is to provide a good consistency, which does not change during storage and exhibits stability during the process implementation.
The production of stabilized products based on dairy raw materials is characterized by the structure formation owing to the coagulation of casein at the isoelectric point [8]. In this case, the stabilizing agents used in food production must hinder the separation of the product and the isolation of whey; when using fillers and additives, structure-stabilizing agents must provide the uniformity of their distribution over the volume during packing and subsequent storage. The use of structure-stabilizing agents can provide the for-mation of a gel structure at pH values other than the isoelectric point [1]. Moreover, using structure-stabilizing agents, it is possible to targetedly adjust the structural-mechanical and physicochemical properties, organo-leptic parameters, and quality of the end product [3].
Stabilizing systems are commonly used in the dairy industry [9]. Among the currently known structure-stabilizing agents, anionic polysaccharides—both natural (pectin, agar, agaroid, pyrophosphate) and artificial (oxidized starch)—are extensively employed. Alginates, cellulose derivatives, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and various gums enjoy wide application abroad [4]. Stabilizing agents are promising because their composition and properties are constantly being improved. The use of stabilizing agents improves the quality of products (particularly consistency) and increases the yield and the shelf life [2].
Examination of the structure formation laws in dairy systems is of significant theoretical and practical importance because it provides the formation of disperse systems with desired structural-mechanical properties.
The described studies were conducted in conjunction with A.N. Arkhipov and A.V. Pozdnyakova.
OBJECTS AND METHODS OF RESEARCH
To examine the composition of the structure-stabilizing agents, a JEOL JED-2300 analysis station was used; the electron probe microanalysis conducted with this instrument yielded spectrometric profiles that can be used to determine the chemical composition of the structure-stabilizing agents [5].
