The article is devoted to the theoretical principles of the formation of a regional register of soils subject to special protection. The reasons for the absence of soils in the Red Book of the Kaliningrad region are revealed. It is proved that the fundamental idea on which the domestic approach to soil protection is based is the doctrine of ecological functions. The value and significance of soils are revealed in 12 groups of special protection. The actual filling of these groups with regional soil objects should be carried out on the principles of zoning, priority of virgin sites, preservation of rare and endangered soils, historical and ecological value. As a result of the comparative geographical approach and analysis of the first version (2009) of the soil conservation register for the Kaliningrad region, it has been found that its significant processing and expansion is required. The network of specially protected natural territories (protected areas) in the region is a place of localization of valuable soil objects from the groups "virgin reference soils", "rare virgin soils", "soils as habitat for plants and animals included in the Red Book", partially "urban soils of increased ecological importance", "soils of archaeological sites". In this regard, it is necessary to supplement the content of the passports of protected areas by including soils there in order to extend the protected status to them. The problem of spatial allocation of boundaries of valuable soil objects is the lack of information content or the absence of soil maps of the appropriate scale. Therefore, one of the tasks of the deployment of work on the Red Book of Soils of the Kaliningrad region should be digital mapping of the current composition of the soil cover and the allocation of a share of valuable soil objects. Agricultural lands occupy about half of the territory of the region and contain objects from the groups "rare cultivated soils", "highly cultivated soils – models of high fertility", "reference soils – monitoring objects", "soils of key training grounds and strongholds of research institutions". The form of protection for such soils is assumed to be agro-soil reserves or the assignment of the status of "valuable soil objects of special use".

The article is devoted to the study of the biology of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana, 1850), a mass commercial species in the Antarctic part of the Atlantic (APA). As a phytoplanktivore, krill is an important link in food chains and primary production distribution. E. superba is a highly valuable raw material for many industries and plays an important role in domestic fishing. In general, during the analysis of 805 krill individuals from the Powell Basin, the predominance of juvenile individuals in the samples was noted, and among heterosexual individuals – females. The total body length of krill was 13.6–50.2 mm (with the length of the carapace 3.1– 19.0 mm). The individual body weight of the individuals was 0.02–1.2 g. Males of E. superba of the Powell basin, on average, turned out to be larger than females, at the same time, but along the length of the carapace, the females reached large maximum sizes. For the first time for krill of this region, a significant advance in weight growth over linear growth was shown. Both males and females were dominated by small individuals (body length 29.3–36.4 mm) with very undeveloped or poorly developed gonads and copulatory organs, almost mature individuals were rare, their sizes were larger (45.3–46.5 mm). For the first time, the gonadosomatic index of precocious females was determined for the species, which amounted to 12–25%. For the first time, the average sizes of the most developed vitellogenic oocytes – 0.42 x 0.54 mm – were calculated for krill in the basin. The heterogeneity of maturation of female krill is probably related to the peculiarities of water circulation in the studied fishing area of the study and the transfer of juveniles here.

The use of animal by-products as organic fertilizers is associated with the risk of environmental pollution by a wide range of various microorganisms, including sanitary-indicative bacteria of the genus Proteus spp. The article analyzed soil samples taken in an arable field fertilized by the neutralized liquid fraction of pig manure effluent (ME) pumped out of lagoons, as well as soil samples harvested at a distance of 500–600 m from the boundaries of the field. P. vulgaris (an indicator of soil contamination with organic substances of animal origin) and P. mirabilis (an indicator of fecal contamination) were detected in all samples. The amount of Proteus spp. in the arable land fertilized with ME turned out to be higher than in pig feces and fresh ME (immediately after separation), so the soil is a good habitat for bacteria of this genus. Territories under the influence of livestock complexes can be considered as places of reservation of opportunistic bacteria of the genus Proteus. The effect of various methods of processing the liquid fraction on the number of Proteus was evaluated in the laboratory. Various types of surfactants (cationic, anionic, nonionic), sodium hypochlorite, sulfuric acid (acidification to pH 5,5), as well as methods of aeration and creation of anaerobic conditions were used for the processing of liquid fraction. The observation time was 14 days. Samples of biofilms and bacterioplankton were used for microbiological research. The number of Proteus spp. in the biofilms of all experimental variants turned out to be 2–3 orders lower than in bacterioplankton. Aeration and anaerobic conditions had no effect on the abundance of Proteus spp. The use of nonionic surfactants and acidification reduced the number of Proteus spp. by 10 times, processing with NaОCl, cationic and anionic surfactants led to a decrease in the number of corresponding bacteria by 2 orders.

The article is devoted to the problem of rational and comprehensive use of fish raw materials, in particular, Baltic herring heads (sprat), and namely, obtaining biologically valuable oil. The purpose of the study is to substantiate rational modes of enzymatic extraction of food-grade oil from Baltic herring heads using the domestic enzyme protosubtilin G3x. The paper shows the dependence of the oil yield and its quality indicators on such factors as temperature and duration of enzymatic treatment. Both factors had a statistically significant effect on the amount of extracted fat and its spoilage indicators (acid and peroxide values). After 180 minutes of hydrolysis, the fat yield did not increase significantly regardless of the process temperature. The highest fat yield when using protosubtilin G3x (74.2%) was noted after 4 hours of hydrolysis at 50 °C, slightly less (72.3%) after 3 hours at the same temperature. By increasing the temperature to 60 °C, the process was intensified at the initial stage, but after 120 minutes of hydrolysis, no further decrease in the oil yield was recorded. The article presents the results of studies on the effect of the fineness of grinding of fish raw materials under a rational mode of the enzymatic hydrolysis process: temperature - 50 °C; duration – 180 min. The oil yield was 79.6% and 62.4% of its initial content for Baltic herring heads, ground, respectively, in a grinder and in a homogenizer. As a result of the studies, the following rational parameters for enzymatic extraction of fat using protosubtilin G3x have been established: temperature – 50 °C; duration – 3 hours. It has been shown that grinding fish heads in a grinder before extraction is the most rational method in comparison with cutting into pieces or processing in a cutter.

The problem of food fraud has been accompanying humanity for thousands of years. A modern technologist should be able not only to create new types of products, but also to propose methods for their identification. Grain salmon roe is one of the most frequently adulterated products, since it is considered a traditional delicacy, has a high market value and sufficient marginality. Traditionally, electrophoretic and molecular genetic methods are used for its identification, characterized by high cost and comparative duration of testing. The methods of luminometry and identification by mass content of protein offered in modern literature have certain disadvantages. As a result, it remains relevant to search for an express and relatively inexpensive method that makes it possible to effectively establish the fact of fraud of the product that is not associated with the substitution of a biological type of raw. For this purpose, it has been proposed to use morphological and spectrometric methods. Prepared samples of ovum membranes of natural and imitated granular caviar were photographed using an electron microscope and used to detect infrared spectra by the method of frustrated total internal reflection. Since it is possible to produce technologically imitated roe comparable in size to natural grain roe, only using carbohydrate polymers, sodium alginate was used as a reference standard. The results obtained by morphological analysis showed a lower alignment of the collagen molecules of the natural caviar ovum membrane compared with the alginate molecules of the imitated caviar ovum membrane. The reason for such differences may be the variance in the spatial configuration of protein and carbohydrate molecules. According to the data obtained by infrared spectrometry, the absence of a characteristic peak with a wave number of 1536 cm^-1 in fraud sample and the presence of peaks in the range of 1560-1510 cm^-1 in natural roe can serve as a distinctive marker. Thus, the possibility of using the described methods to reliably distinguish natural grain salmon roe from imitated products has been shown.

The benefits of dairy products for human health are due to many factors related not only to the nutritional value, including biological value of the main raw materials, but also to their good digestibility, the possibility of combining them with other types of food in the diet, a wide range of varieties, and affordability in terms of price attractiveness. The assortment of cheeses made using the technology of cheddaring is in demand among consumers and is constantly updated with new products. Modern directions in cheese production technology involve the use of vegetable raw materials rich in protein and new types of milk coagulating enzymes. The article presents data on the development of a recipe for a cheese product based on soy milk. The objects of research were model samples of cheese prepared with various milk coagulating enzymes and samples of cheese product with the addition of soy milk. At the first stage of the study, the effect was determined of analyzed enzymes (Caglificio clerici SPA/Italy, Meito/Japan, Normal/Russia) on the process of milk clotting. The temperature of clotting was 30±2°C, and the duration was 30±5 min. It has been found that different enzymes have a different impact on the duration of clotting. When adding rennet (Normal), the minimum time was observed – 25 minutes, which is 40% less than the clotting duration when adding mucorpepsin (Caglificio clerici) and 20% lower than the clotting duration when adding microbial enzyme (Meito). Thus, during the work, enzyme preparations that positively affect the technological process of obtaining a soft cheese product have been identified, quantitative dosages of soy milk have been determined, and the quality indicators of the obtained product have been analyzed.

According to foreign researchers (Ghio B. et al.), about 65–80% of the adult population in the world suffer from lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance occurs in humans at the genetic level, since it is associated with the LCT gene or the lactase gene. According to medical research in the USA, lactose intolerance is also affected by a person’s ethnicity. The transition from traditional to lactose-free products poses such technological challenges for the food industry as preserving beneficial properties in the final product, acceptable organoleptic indicators and expanding the range of products to meet consumer preferences. To develop a high-quality fermented milk product, special attention should be paid to the starter culture used, taking into account the balance of the following parameters: temperature, fermentation rate, taste and consistency. The purpose of the study was to substantiate the choice of starter culture for obtaining lactose-free yogurt enriched with lupine protein concentrate with the most favorable organoleptic characteristics. Comparative studies of starters from different manufacturers were carried out according to physicochemical and organoleptic indicators. The main parameters of the yogurt fermentation process have been determined: temperature, fermentation time, acidity and organoleptic indicators of the finished product. As a result of the studies, it has been found that the preferred starter culture for yogurt production is the Dalton Starter Yo starter, which gives the yogurt a pure, sour-milk taste and aroma, without any defects, at a fermentation temperature of 40–42 °C and a fermentation time of 5–6 hours. The possibility of obtaining lactose-free yogurt using the enzyme preparation Dayrizym Y 50 L and lactose-free yogurt with the addition of lupine concentrate is described. The lactose content in milk and lactose-free yogurts has been studied. As a result of using the enzyme preparation Dayrizym Y 50 L, the lactose content in yogurt has been reduced to 0.001%.

Tuna fishing is carried out using various types of fishing gear: purse seines, longlines, fishing rods, trolls, drift nets, trawls. The most effective method is purse seine fishing (about 65% of the total global tuna catch). In Russia, by 2009, due to the moral and physical wear and tear of vessels, tuna fishing has been discontinued. The need to resume tuna fishing has been repeatedly assessed more than once at various discussion forums, including at a high government level. This paper evaluates the characteristics of a vessel for the resumption of industrial tuna fishing under the State Flag of the Russian Federation at an early stage of design. Currently, given the geopolitical situation, the prospect of fishing in the Atlantic Ocean should be considered first of all. The proposed fishing areas in the zones of African States are considered. Kaliningrad is considered as a home port. The article presents the results of the statistical data processing of modern tuna fishing vessels, a total of 32 vessels have been selected. Since the fishing areas are quite far from the home port, only medium and large vessels have been considered when selecting statistics. Based on the data obtained, a study has been carried out: some dependencies and ranges of changes in the main characteristics of vessels of this type have been identified; a comparison has been made with tuna seiners built in the USSR and abroad in the twentieth century. The analysis of the drawings of the general location has been carried out and the architectural design type of the future projected vessel has been substantiated.