Physical-chemical characteristics and ecological cleanliness of wild forest berries in the Vologda Region

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for forest food and medicine products has increased, as it is a source of vitamins, minerals and biologically active substances. In addition, they are more environmentally favorable food products and are not processed with chemicals during the growth period. High nutritional value or useful medicinal properties are reduced to zero when the level of toxic substances in them exceeds the maximum permissible norms. Research on the ecological purity of wild plants is an urgent issue. The object of the study is wild-growing berries growing in the Vologda Region. The study used generally accepted methods in assessing the food safety of food products. As a result, it was established that the Vologda Region has a significant resource potential of wild berries. Procurement can be carried out on an area of 110510 thousand km2, and the estimated annual amount of resource withdrawal may be 40591.1 tons. The quality of berry raw material exceeds established standards. When assessing environmental cleanliness, it was found that wild forest berries of the Vologda Region contain less cesium-137 and nitrates than the maximum permissible levels of hazardous concentrations. This fact indicates the possibility of using berries in food production, including baby food.