Aleksandr Kolesnov
Doctor of Technical Sciences
Candidate of Biological Sciences,
Scientific progress and competitive production are based on fundamental knowledge, professionalism and practice., It is impossible to develop sustainable food market and to increase public confidence in the products without this basis.
agro-climatic and technogenic factors
biotechnology
plant biochemistry
secondary metabolites
stable isotopes
light elements
mass spectrometry
nuclear magnetic resonance
plant food products
identification
identification of falsifications
standardization
technical regulation
viticulture and winemaking products
fruit and vegetable processing products
functional food products
1979-1983
Graduated from Humboldt University of Berlin (Berlin, Germany) Faculty of Agricultural and Food Production, specialty “Production of beverages and fermentation products”.
1983-1987
Postgraduate study at the Department of Biochemistry and Grain Science of Moscow Technological Institute of Food Industry (MTIFI, at present Moscow State University of Food Production).
1988-2015
Senior researcher of the Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research of Quality and Technology of Food Products, MTIFI.
1989-1990
Scientific internship at Institute of Food Technology of University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany). The purpose - to improve scientific skills in the field of analytical research, quality assessment and safety of food raw materials and food products (target group - alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages).
1991-present time
Corresponding member of the Scientific Society of Food Industry Technologists of Germany (Gesellschaft der Deutschen Lebensmitteltechnologen).
2002-2004
Expert of the International project of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
2004
Head of the Russian delegation at the final session of the International working group on the development of the international standard of the Codex Alimentarius Commission for fruit juices and nectars (CODEX STAN 247-2005) in Brazil.
2011
Internship at Thermo Fisher Scientific company (Bremen, Germany) in the field of applied mass spectrometry of stable isotopes of light elements in the research of biotic and abiotic objects of the environment.
2012 - present time
Member of the international jury of the International FoodTec Award (Cologne, Germany).
2013-2017
Expert from the Russian Federation at the APEC international forum on regulation of production and trade of wine products in the Asia-Pacific region (APEC Wine Regulatory Forum).
2015 - present time
Member of the National Committee of the Russian Federation on Cooperation with the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV, Paris, France) under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
2016 - present time
Head of the laboratory of fundamental and applied research of quality and technology of food products of the Shared Research and Educational Center, RUDN University.
2018 - present time
Expert of the Subcommittee on methods of analysis of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV, Paris, France).
2018 - present time
Authorized representative of the RUDN University in the Technical Committee for standardization “Viticulture and winemaking” (TC № 162) of the Federal Agency of the Russian Federation for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart).
Science
- Kolesnov A. Yu. developed a system for assessing the quality and identification of pectin extracted from higher plants for use in functional food technology (e.g., food products enriched with vitamins, trace elements). The system allows to provide a reliable selection of necessary pectin for industrial production and production \ post-production control of beverages with therapeutic and prophylactic properties (for example, beverages for preventive or therapeutic use in heavy metal intoxication, radionuclides, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract);
- Kolesnov A. Yu. developed ways of obtaining pectin and pectin containing ingredients and technology of new food products and functional beverages enriched with vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. This is one of the main groups of food products for healthy nutrition, which complies with the requirements of the state policy of Russia in the field of healthy nutrition;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. identified out and systematized the main quality properties of wine products on the example of sparkling wines and wines oversaturated with carbon dioxide, as well as products of fruit and vegetable processing on the example of juices, nectars and juice drinks, pectin and functional drinks;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. developed a universal screening analysis system for the simultaneous study of the activities of a wide range of enzymes of plant raw materials and industrial enzyme preparations that are used in the processing of fruits and vegetables. The system provides effective operational management of the technological process by collecting and using data on enzyme activities in the processed raw materials and products;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. received a scientific solution to the problem of improving and ensuring the quality of fruit and vegetable products on the example of juices, nectars, juice drinks, including functional. The solution is based on the scientific concept, which provides for the introduction of quality assessment and product identification systems in the practice of production and post-production control;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. gave scientific justification and developed a methodology for the use of biochemical systems in assessing the quality and identification of food products of plant origin. It is based on a highly specific method of enzymatic analysis of substrates and the study of enzyme activity of plant raw materials and auxiliary products;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. illustrated the universality of the use of enzymatic analysis of substrates in the study of the component composition and secondary metabolites of plants. Scientifically substantiated solutions to control the reliability of research, which prevents the appearance and use of erroneous results that lead to incorrect assessment of product quality and/or inadequate solutions in the management of production technologies;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. was the first who developed the most rational methods of quality management of food additives (pectin) and functional food products (beverages), which are a reliable evaluation and identification of pectin on the basic physical and chemical (D-galacturonic acid content, the degree of esterification, the content of methoxy groups, ash, the content of alcohol insoluble substances, the degree of amidation, the content of acetyl groups, molecular weight), therapeutic and preventive (linkage of heavy metals and radionuclides, the effect on the function of the gastrointestinal tract, influence on the level of high and low density lipoproteins) and technological parameters (gelling force, internal strength of the standard gel, sensitivity to polyvalent metal ions). The system also includes a subsequent classification for the selection of technological methods of processing of food additives and the creation of functional beverage formulations with optimal quality properties;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. was the first who studied the influence of natural (climatic) factors on the composition of stable isotopes of light elements (carbon and oxygen) in plant components on the example of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) and wine products on the example of the main viticultural regions of Russia: Crimea, Krasnodar region, Rostov region, Stavropol region and the Republic of Dagestan;
- Kolesnov A. Yu. for the first time studied proteinase neutral serine type (molecular weight 92500 D, pI of 5.08) and alkaline proteinase thiol type (molecular weight 50000, 4,44 pI) in plants, on the example of barley (Hordeum vulgare);
- Kolesnov A. Yu. obtained experimental data on the natural distribution of 13C/12C carbon isotopes and 18O/16O oxygen in grapes and their processing products (e.g., in wine) and their links with the agro-climatic conditions of the region of growth of grapes. He demonstrated that for plants C3-pathways of photosynthesis - for example, grapes - in terms of relative water scarcity, high solar activity and temperature regime, the composition of molecules of components (including - carbohydrates (sugars), organic acids and intracellular water), during the thermodynamic processes of biological fractionation is characterized by a higher content of “heavy” isotopes of carbon (13C) and oxygen (18O). At the same time, quantitative levels of enrichment with carbon isotope 13C of such intact components of grapes as carbohydrates (e.g., D-glucose, D-fructose) and organic acids (e.g., malic, citric and tartaric acid) are equivalent to each other, while the composition of the carbon isotopes of ethanol wine made from grapes, characterized by a reduced content of “heavy” carbon isotope 13C in comparison with the original isotope composition of sugars from which this ethanol was obtained during fermentation.
Scientific interests
- Biotechnology, technology of food products of plant origin, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, wine products;
- Functional food products;
- Quality management system and food safety;
- Expert assessment of food quality and safety;
- Biochemistry of plants;
- Methods of biochemical and mass spectrometric study of environmental objects, including stable isotopes of light elements;
- National and international standardization and technical regulation.
Cornelian cherry, a minor wild fruit tree in Western Europe, represents a massively exploited natural resource in the Black sea region. For this reason cornelian cherry has been targeted in the EU program BaSeFood (Sustainable exploitation of bioactive components from the Black Sea Area traditional foods) in which uses, composition and traditional foods of local crops are being investigated and compared, in a cross-country perspective. Documentation is being carried on local populations, growing systems, exploitation and commercialization, local knowledge about uses and perception of health promoting properties, and recipes Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Italy, as W-European example, are the main focus of this contribution. Selection and breeding have been carried out in several countries. Old plantations and wild stands represent important resources for local communities, that generally do not have the financial or technical resources to transfer their traditional knowledge into products acceptable according to standards of marketing and safety. The fruits are sold on local markets and roadsides, fresh, dried, or processed. Firms use the dried fruits for producing herbal remedies or extracts. A wide range of traditional products are manufactured at home level: compotes, preserves with sugar, without cooking, concentrated preserves without sugar (lekvar), juice and mashed pulp thickenings (the Caucasian fruit leather, Georgian thklapi, with equivalent in southern Russia), pickles in vinegar, sauces and other. The use of cornelian cherry is associated with the popular perception of health promoting properties: disinfectant, anti-diarrhoea, anti-inflammatory, vessel protectant, especially against haemorrhoids. Dried fruits have been used as vitamin C supply for seamen. In Italy, the exploitation of cornelian cherry occurs at much smaller scale; traditional recipes are still applied in Trentino, Emilia Romagna and Marche regions. Cornelian cherries are used by local manufacturers of jam, as well. The analysis of fruit composition indicates cornelian cherry as a promising underutilised species with high content of bioactive compounds.
The IRMS/SIRA technique with isotopic equilibration method for measuring of 18O/16O isotope ratios was first applied for the analysis of “superfruits” with health benefits - pomegranate fruits from Azerbaijan (the Caspian region). Authentic fruit samples were selected from the crop of 2011 at the processing plant Aznar (Goychay/Göyçay area) from a total amount of 4880 t of processed fruits of seven cultivars. The oxygen isotopes were measured in an aqueous phase of fresh juices (n=100), which were expressed under laboratory conditions from fresh ripe pomegranate fruits. The method applied revealed high sensitivity towards juice origin and quality. Oxygen isotope ratios expressed as δ18О in analyzed fresh ripe pomegranates from Azerbaijan vary from -4.50 to -0.43 ‰. Soluble solids of fresh pressed juices vary from 14.40 to 20.00 оBrix, weight of fruits - from 87 to 560 g, seeds weight - from 47 to 302 g, and fruit’s size - from 59 to 110 mm. To evaluate the extent of biological fractionation the 18O/16O ratio were measured in water from this area. Compared to regional water (δ18О = -9.69…-8.93 ‰), the intracellular water of fruits is found to be enriched with 18О isotope. These results are of practical importance for determination of origin, quality, and detection of adulteration of commercial products from pomegranates. Thus, the results of the study can be used as additional criterion in the International Multidimensional Authenticity Specification Algorithm for Detection of Commercial Pomegranate Juice Adulteration (IMAS) and Code of Practice AIJN for the evaluation of pomegranate juices represented on national and international juice markets.
The effect of biological fractionation of the stable isotopes of oxygen 18O/16O in the intracellular water of apples and pomegranates grown in Russia and Azerbaijan was first studied. The research was carried out using the IRMS/SIRA technique of isotopic equilibration. It has been proved that for five varieties of apples grown in the Russian Federation the level of the δ18OVSMOW in the intracellular water of the processed apples in 2012 season is equal to -5.47 through -0.36 ‰; that for seven varieties of pomegranates grown and processed in Azerbaijan is equal to -3.93 through +0.26 ‰. The achieved results coincide with the previously published data of δ18OVSMOW changes in the intracellular water of pomegranates grown and processed in Azerbaijan in 2011. The results of the study can be of practical use for the quality evaluation of the industrially produced fruit juices as well as for the determination of their geographical origin. The results of the study can be also applied to identification of products supplied at the national, regional, and international markets and labeled as “NfC Apple juice”/“NfC Pomegranate juice”. This identification might be held in the area of juices and juice related products according to the known quality evaluation protocols & systems (e.g. IMAS, EQCS) and with the use of such reference documents as Code of Practice AIJN.
The report considers the agroclimatic conditions in the Black Sea districts of cultivation and processing of grapes - the Black Sea Lowland, the Crimean Peninsula and the South-west coastal areas of the Greater Caucasus. The IRMS/SIRA techniques - Flash combustion (FC-IRMS/SIRA) & Isotopic equilibration (EQ-IRMS/SIRA) - were first applied for the evaluation of carbon and oxygen isotopes ratios in the components of grapes from the Crimean Peninsula. The 13С/12С ratios were studied by the FC-IRMS/SIRA in carbohydrates and organic acids in authentic samples of 8 grape varieties from the 2015 harvest. The EQ-IRMS/SIRA was applied to measure the 18О/16О ratios in intracellular water of grapes. The measured δ13СVPDB value ranges from -25.01 to -21.01 ‰ (for carbohydrates), and from -25.09 to -21.30 ‰ (for organic acids). To evaluate the extent of biological isotope fractionation the 18О/16О ratios were measured in ground water and water of atmospheric precipitates from the Crimean Peninsula. Compared to ground (δ18OVSMOW from -10.85 to -8.14 ‰) and atmospheric (average δ18OVSMOW -2.85 ‰) waters, the intracellular water of Crimean grape varieties is found to be enriched with 18О isotope. The δ18OVSMOW value of the grape intracellular water varies from 2.34 to 5.29 ‰ according to agroclimatic conditions of the season in 2015.
The report presents the results of a study of carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in carbohydrates and intracellular water of red and white grapes of 2016 wine-growing season in the Crimean peninsula areas, South-west coast of the Greater Caucasus, the Don basin and the Western Caspian region. The mass concentration of reducing sugars in the studied grape samples has been from 17.5 to 25.0 g/100 ml, titrated acids concentration (based on tartaric acid) - from 6.0 to 9.1 g/l, the buffer capacity 34.1- 63.2 mEq/l. Red and white wine made from respective grapes contained from 0.5 to 3.6 g/l of residual sugar; from 11.1 to 14.5 % ethanol by volume; buffer capacity was 35.2-52.6 mEq/l. It has been found that the δ13СVPDB values for carbohydrates of red and white grape varieties as a result of biological fractionation of carbon isotopes in the agro-climatic conditions of plant growth for the studied geographical areas are ranging from -26.74 to -20.74 ‰ (the Crimean peninsula); from -27.31 to -21.58 ‰ (South West Coast of the Greater Caucasus), from -27.33 to -24.73 ‰ (Don Basin) and from -26.64 to -23.17 ‰ (West Caspian). The δ13СVPDB values for ethanol of the red and white dry wines range from -28.52 to -24.26 ‰ (the Crimean peninsula); from -29.23 to -24.52 ‰ (South West Coast of the Greater Caucasus); from -28.97 to -26.22 ‰ (Don Basin); from -29.14 to -25.22 ‰ (Western Caspian). Compared with the surface water and groundwater (averages from δ18OVSMOW -13.90 to -6.38 ‰) and with precipitation (averages from δ18OVSMOW -10.30 to -9.04 ‰) the δ18OVSMOW values in intracellular water of grapes are the following: for the Crimean peninsula grapes, from 0.40 to 4.97 ‰; the South West Coast of the Greater Caucasus, from -2.11 to 6.29 ‰; the Don Basin, from -2.21 to 6.26 ‰; the Western Caspian, from -0.24 to 1.44 ‰. It has been noted that in conditions of water shortage caused by low rainfall or lack of rainfall and irrigation, grapes are prone to the accumulation of «heavy» 13C carbon isotope due to changes in isotopic exchange with the environment through a partial reduction in the intensity of transpiration and photosynthesis.
An algorithm is proposed for using the combination of NMR spectroscopy of 1Н and deuterium 2Н(D) nuclei for prompt identification and determination of the component and differential isotope composition of water organic solutions including (D/H)I and (D/H)II) values in ethanol, water in wine, cognac, brandies, juices, soft drinks and other products. The method does not require sample preparation and/or use of any certified reference materials. Some examples of the proposed concept application for the authentication and quality control of wine products are presented.