Scientists at Perm Polytechnic University have developed innovative food products — sulguni cheese and kombucha, enriched with a plant-based phytocomposition that helps lower blood sugar levels. The development could become an important element in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes.
The technology is based on a fermented mixture of burdock and Jerusalem artichoke leaves containing insulin-like substances. The additive was treated with probiotic bacteria L. plantarum and ultrasound to increase its effectiveness. The resulting composition was added to sulguni cheese at the forming stage, preserving its taste and texture.
Some functional foods, having a high level of probiotics in their composition, namely inulin, improve the condition of the intestinal microbiota, stimulate its growth, which, in turn, improves glycemic indicators, that is, normalizes blood glucose levels. They can be obtained not only by introducing specialized ingredients, but also by changing the production technology.
In addition, for 5–7 days, scientists cultivated kombucha in a medium consisting of boiled cooled water with the addition of 3 grams of fermented plant composition. After the process was completed, the acidity, organoleptic characteristics, and density of the drink were determined. The resulting drink has a mild antibacterial effect and may also be useful for improving intestinal microflora.
An earlier research by scientists confirmed that the phytocomposition stabilizes the sugar level with a coefficient of 1.11, which is close to the effect of the drug (metformin, coefficient — 1.08). This confirms that the development can be used in specialized food products.
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