The aim of the work was to substantiate the use of buckwheat husk for obtaining a functional food colorant melanin. The objects of the study were samples of buckwheat husk Fagopýrum esculéntum and isolated water-soluble melanin. The isolation of melanin was carried out by extraction of buckwheat husk with 4% NaOH at a hydraulic modulus of 1:20. The sorption capacity of the melanin extract was determined by its interaction with copper salt solutions in an alkaline medium. It has been established that a distinctive feature of buckwheat hulls is its low ash content, a rather high fiber content – 24.7–26.5%, and a sufficient content of pectin substances – 7.2–7.7% and melanin – 15.7–16.2%. The husk can be used for further processing in order to obtain the food coloring melanin. The experiment proved the ability of a melanin sample to bind copper ions: one gram of a 0.5% solution of buckwheat husk melanin extract bounded 966.6 mg/ml copper, and the antioxidant activity of one gram of melanin extract corresponds to the antioxidant activity of 0.056 g of rutin. Thus, water-soluble samples of melanin isolated from buckwheat hulls can be used as food coloring agents, as well as antioxidants and biosorbents, which makes it possible to recommend them as functional food ingredients in food.

The current state of the economy requires a qualitatively new organization of the region’s food market. The development of regional food markets should be based primarily on a fuller use of local raw materials. The most important task in the development of the regional food market is the search for new sources of natural biologically active substances and the development of functional food products based on them. Melanin is a unique biologically active substance with inhibitory, protective, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. The main plant sources of melanin are chaga, birch mushroom and sunflower husk, the use of which is not always advisable and economically profitable. It is advisable to consider buckwheat husk Fagopyrumesculentum, which is characterized by the absence of ballast fraction and a high content of brown pigment localized in the outer layers of the cellular wall of the entire grain shell, as a promising raw material source for the isolation of melanin. The biochemical characteristics of melanin from alternative raw sources require a more detailed study of the properties of the pigment, in particular the functional ones, to confirm the practical possibility of using them as functional food ingredients in food products - antioxidants and biosorbents-detoxifying agents.

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In the contemporary context, climatic conditions in cocoa bean-producing countries and disrupted logistics chains due to the coronavirus pandemic complicate stable cocoa products supply. The study aimed at developing an express assessment method for color characteristics of cocoa-containing food systems where cocoa powder replaced with brown pigment melanin obtained from buckwheat husks, partially. A man prepared five confectionery glaze prototypes: one based on non-alkalized cocoa powder and four samples containing 3; 5; 7 and 10 % melanin powder as a substitute for cocoa powder. The confectionery glaze based on alkalized cocoa powder served as a comparison sample. To study the glaze color characteristics, the researchers covered white plates with samples, enabled the glaze to harden, and then, took images of the glaze surface using a digital camera in a white box at a color temperature of 6000 K; processed images using image analysis software that provided color coordinates determination of any point of the uploaded image in the RGB model. Then, a man determined the color coordinates in trichromatic XYZ coordinates using a color converter. The results revealed that the confectionery glaze prototype containing 15% non-alkalized cocoa powder and 10% melanin was close to the control sample in terms of color characteristics. The suggested approach advantages are the expensive equipment absence, simplicity and data processing accessibility. The method enables running an objective color assessment of a cocoa-containing product, comparing product samples with each other, and defining color differences. The research results offer the challenges for the color scales development for cocoa-containing foods quality assessment.

The paper presents the properties of nanostructured vitamin E (self-organization) and its use in functional foods, as well as determines the size of nanocapsules using the NTA method. The article also presents the basic requirements for confectionery glaze, shows consumer preferences when choosing glazed confectionery products, and explores the possibility of using melanin as an alternative to cocoa powder, including for replacing alkalized cocoa powder in confectionery glaze recipes.