Oat Protein Concentrate As Part of Curd Product for Sport Nutrition

Abstract

The industry of sport nutrition is actively developing worldwide and includes a wide range of functional products. Healthy lifestyle is being actively promoted, hence the development of new types of products for athletes. Protein mixtures and amino acid complexes occupy a leading position in this market sector. Nutrition plays an important role in physical training, since athletic activity requires a lot of energy and causes neuro-psychological stress. A standard diet cannot meet the needs of athletes, so this group of people uses fortified foods and biologically active food supplements. Today, sport nutrition is widely represented on the shelves of mass markets. However, most of the products are imported. The qualitative composition of the protein is important in determining its suitability for human diet. Products of animal origin have been a traditional source of protein in the diet and, despite its balanced amino acid composition, still have several disadvantages. Plant sources of protein have recently attracted the interest of scientists and nutritionists. Such products possess sufficient biological potential and are more affordable for production and processing. Oats is actively used in the food industry due to its beneficial properties. The present paper features the biological potential of the curd product fortified with an oat protein concentrate and its role in sport nutrition. The paper introduces a new technology for the production of a curd product fortified with an oat protein concentrate. The finished product contains 23.5% of protein and all essential amino acids, which meets the requirements of sport nutrition. A comparative analysis of the content of amino acids in popular sport nutrition products and the developed curd product proved the competitiveness of the latter. Its biological potential appeared to be not inferior to the characteristics of popular commercial products. The curd product fortified with an oat protein concentrate demonstrated a balanced amino acid, vitamin, macro, and microelement composition, which makes it possible to recommend it as a functional food product for people who are actively involved in sports.