Systemic approach in the development of functional foods for various noncommunicable diseases

Abstract

The article presents a hierarchy of requirements necessary for the successful design of food products with given composition and properties considering age restrictions and various diseases. The need for generalization and systematization of scientifically based principles, specific medical and biological requirements for food products, diets for the most common nutritional diseases in the knowledge base is shown. Using the k-means cluster analysis method, 1) meat raw materials were analyzed for inclusion in functional food for gerodietetic nutrition according to the most significant descriptors (protein, methionine + cystine amino acids, tryptophan), 2) spicy herbs and spices were analyzed for inclusion in the Muhammara recipe as natural antioxidant sources according to the descriptor of antioxidant properties. Using the example of the Muhammara recipe change, all stages of a systemic approach in the development of functional foods are shown. The first stage is related to obtaining information from the knowledge base about scientifically based nutritional principles and specific biomedical requirements for the given age group. At the second stage, the clustering of raw materials of animal and vegetable origin is carried out in order to reasonably include in the recipe of food product being developed. At the third stage, a system of balance linear algebraic equations for the chemical composition of the food product being developed (mass fraction of fat, protein, water, carbohydrates, vitamins, macro- and microelements, amino acids, etc.) is formed. The fourth stage is associated with the establishment of the target function (optimization criterion), and restrictions for recipe and balance. At the fifth stage, the problem is solved using a high-level language in a modern programming environment. At the final (sixth) stage, the nutritional value of the optimal balanced recipe is analyzed considering the target function and the given restrictions. As a result, we receive a modified Muhammara recipe with optimized protein: fat ratio. Mathematical simulation was carried out using the R Studio software with open-source lpSolve and lpSolveAPI libraries.