INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY OF PLANT-BASED DRINK "CHOCOLATE" BASED ON AMARANTH FLOUR

The paper presents the factors that contribute to the development of the plant-based milk production industry in Ukraine, shows the prospects for the development of this segment of the market during the next decade in the country, outlines the segment of Ukrainians who are potential consumers of the target product - "plant-based milk". Based on the analysis of literary data, the relevance and expediency of processing amaranth flour as a raw material with high nutritional and biological value, which is produced today in Ukraine by enterprises of the oil and fat industry, into plant-based beverages, is substantiated. The technology of processing amaranth flour into a plant-based drink "Chocolate" using natural raw ingredients based on amaranth flour, developed during research at LLC "Khmilnytskyi dry skimmed milk plant "Molochny Visit", is presented. The process of production of the target product is detailed in the form of a vector scheme; all are described stages of the technological process of the production of ultra-pasteurized herbal drink "Chocolate" with a detailed justification of technological parameters. The industrial approbation of the developed technology of the herbal drink "Chocolate" using natural raw ingredients based on amaranth flour was carried out at LLC "Khmilnytskyi dry skimmed milk plant "Molochny Visit". The indicators of the quality of the produced drink were determined - organoleptic, physicochemical and microbiological. The evaluation of the organoleptic indicators of the herbal drink "Chocolate" produced in production conditions according to the developed recipe and innovative technology proved that they correspond to those of the herbal drinks presented today on the consumer market of Ukraine: the taste of the drink is rich, sweet, with a taste of cocoa and a light nutty aftertaste; the consistency of the drink is homogeneous, with a slight sediment at the bottom of the container; the color is pronounced brown, uniform throughout the entire mass of the drink. The microbiological indicators of the herbal drink "Chocolate" meet the requirements of industrial sterility, which guarantees its safety for the consumer. It is recommended to take the physico-chemical indicators of the produced drink "Chocolate" as a basis when developing regulatory documentation for the product.