Fermentation is one of the ancient technological processes used in food production which influences the shelf-life of meat and meat products, also significantly affects the sensory properties like aroma and flavour. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the elaborated technology for a new fermented sausage production on the product quality and sensory properties. Sausages were produced by the standard technology using glucono-delta-lactone or starter culture. The drying of samples differs from 3 to 4 weeks at the same conditions; samples were dried for 4 weeks which produced with the starter culture, and 3 weeks which produced with glucono-delta-lactone. The sausages were tested at the end of the production, analysing pH, water activity, moisture and salt content, as well as the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, colony forming units of Listeria monocytogenes and Enterobacteriaceae in the sausage samples were analysed. The sensory evaluation was organised after getting Listeria monocytogenes testing results. The moisture content, water activity and salt content significantly differed (p is less than 0.05) among samples, no differences were established in pH, taste and flavour liking. The presence of Listeria monocytogenes was not established in samples which indicates that the producer properly applies a hurdle technology in fermented sausage production. Sensory evaluation results showed higher scores for texture and appearance in fermented sausages with glucono-delta-lactone. The study results confirmed that fermented sausages with glucono-delta-lactone during 3 weeks of drying can achieve corresponding safety criteria and sensory properties which are set for semidry fermented sausages.

Birch plywood has a wide range of applications for interior and exterior use. The demand for plywood with improved fire protection properties and good visual appearance is increasing year by year. The impregnation at high pressure of the whole plywood panels is one of the options to achieve it. The aim of this study was to develop good visual looking birch plywood product for interior design purposes as well evaluate different influencing factors to reaction to fire properties of fire-retardant treated birch plywood. This study consists of three parts. At the first stage, high pressure industrially impregnated plywood properties were studied by two influencing factors – distribution of fire retardant in plywood panel plane and sanding process influence on reaction to fire performance of product. At the second stage, seven different industrial finishing systems were selected for covering high-pressure impregnated birch plywood and their effect on fire reaction performance was studied. In addition, two surface coating systems were studied on standard birch plywood substrate. At the third stage, intumescent coating consumption effect on reaction to fire performance was studied. The reaction to fire performance of birch plywood was evaluated by performing a flammability test using the Single Burning Item test according to EN 13823:2010. It was found that high pressure impregnation of plywood cannot ensure even saturation of fire retardant throughout the sheet, which significantly affects the fire performance of product. The impact of different finishing materials to reaction to fire performance has been described by the results of this research.

Glycerol is a versatile substance used in food, beverages, cosmetics, and technical applications. It can be derived from fats and oils through 4 different reactions, including: transesterification, directed hydrogenation, hydrolysis, and saponification. Glycerol derived from fat hydrolysis yields superior quality and quantity when compared to saponification. The resulting glycerol water is purified and concentrated through evaporation to yield crude glycerol with a concentration of 86–88%. Two distinct methods are recognized for further improving quality of glycerol: distillation, and the purification of glycerol water through the ion exchange process followed by evaporation. The goal of this research was to improve the purification process of glycerol, for obtaining premium-quality glycerol without the need for distillation, through the utilization of cations. Several combinations of activated carbon and clay were tested, and it was determined that a combination of 70:30 yielded the optimal results, considering the amount of glycerol and ash content. Technological parameters such as reaction durations, pH, and process temperatures were investigated, and it was discovered that the appropriate combination was a process duration of more than 40 minutes, a pH value of 2, and a temperature of 70 °C. Besides, it was also determined that the concentration and quality of glycerol derived from cottonseed oil can be enhanced through distillation or purification with cationite. Moreover, different concentrations of glycerol on the elaboration of gingerbread were tested, and the conclusion is that adding 5% of the resulting glycerol to the gingerbread recipe could ensure better preservation of its quality during its shelf life.

It is well known that wood tends to shrink and swell as the relative humidity of the air changes. There have been, and still are, attempts to make dimensionally stable wood panels such as Dendrolight®. The physical-mechanical, operational, including acoustic, properties of this material have been significantly improved compared to traditional wood-based panels. However, the production of this material requires very specific processing equipment and a large energy investment. The developers of this material in Latvia invented and patented wood, Lightweight Stabilised Blockboard (LSB). In order for this material to be used in the production of various products, it is necessary to clarify its characteristic, technological, as well as operational properties. The study gathers information about the sound absorption properties of various natural and wood materials, characteristics, and the sound absorption of the studied material at different sound frequencies. The reviewed sources of information indicate that nowadays there are still problems in sound conduction and absorption and isolation issues are being addressed in building acoustics. The production of samples and the determination of sound absorption were carried out using a developed methodology developed in accordance with regulatory requirements. The data obtained in the practical study were compared with the relevant indicators of the Dendrolight® and wood-based panels used for building structures and to determine their compliance with the requirements set forth in the standards ISO 10534-2 and ISO 11654. Research data show that LSB corresponds to E sound absorption class in some of the investigated frequencies.

The chemical composition of goat milk, especially fatty acid profile is recently renewed due to the role of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition. These nutrients are important to analyse in connection with the different breeds receiving the same breeding and feed. The aim of this study was to analyse goat milk fatty acid profile in relation to different breeds. Specimens for fatty acid analyses were collected from individual animals of breeds like Latvian Native (n=5), Saanen (n=5), and crossbreeds (n=5). Bulk milk samples (n=5) were also taken for milk quality testing and fatty acid range determination. Fat content was analysed according to ISO 1211:2011 and fatty acids were measured with the chromatographic method. Protein, lactose, casein and urea concentration was analysed according to ISO 13366-2:2007 and somatic cell count to ISO 9622/IDF141:2013.The highest fat concentration was determined in crossbreed milk samples (3.81 g 100 gE−1) and the lowest (2.96g 100 gE−1) in the Latvian Native breed goat milk samples. The highest butyric acid (0.12 g 100 gE−1) and caproic acid (0.12 g 100 gE−1) concentration was established in Saanen goat milk samples. Compared to other breeds, the milk of the Latvian Native breed goats is characterised by a higher capric acid (0.20 g 100 gE−1) concentration, while a higher concentration of total unsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids was detected in the samples of crossbreed goat milk. The average fatty acid composition of bulk milk samples was 68% for saturated fatty acids, 23% for monosaturated fatty acids and 4.3% for polyunsaturated fatty acids. In analysed goat milk samples, fatty acids showed the characteristic fatty acid profile of goat milk.

Consumers’ growing demand for vegan products creates a need for new nutrient-dense products. Amaranth seeds are characterised as a nutritious product due to the content of proteins, fats, etc. Considering the high-quality fats and their amount in amaranth seeds, the aim of this study was to analyse the profile of fatty acids in amaranth pasta which was developed for a vegan diet. Seven samples: amaranth, amaranth-oat, and amaranth-buckwheat pasta in different ratios, were analysed in the study. The preparation of samples for analysis was carried out according to LVS EN ISO 6498:2012; fatty acid composition was determined using thug/MS analytic method. The highest total fat content was determined in the amaranth pasta – 5453.62 mg 100 gE−1 of product, followed by the amaranth-oat pasta (85%/15%) – 4988.14 mg 100 gE−1 of product and amaranth-oat pasta (70%/30%) – 4772.93 mg 100 gE−1 of product. In the developed pasta samples, over 70% of total fat was unsaturated fatty acids and more than one-third of total fat was PUFA. The highest PUFA/SFA ratio was determined for amaranth-oat pasta (70%/30%), amaranth-buckwheat pasta (85%/15%), and amaranth-buckwheat pasta (70%/30%). Quantitatively, the essential fatty acids were oleic acid, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid. The triterpene squalene was detected with a probability of 90% in all amaranth, amaranth-oat, and amaranth-buckwheat pasta samples. The developed pasta for a vegan diet contains good-quality fat.