PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT OF BLUEBERRY LEAVES AND FRUITS

The genus Vaccinium includes cowberries, cranberries and blueberries. Nowadays they are under large scale cultivation for the purposes of fruit production. In the Republic of Belarus bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.) can be met in situ; among the cultivated plants the most prevalent varieties are highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifilium Ait.). Blueberry is rich in bioactive substances, such as organic acids, anthocyanins, pectin and tannins. The leaves and fruits of blueberries are a promising plant raw material for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. It is useful for the production of herbal teas, juices, jams, preserves, shampoos, creams, infusions, extracts, etc. For the improved process of extracting leaves and fruits of blueberries, as well as quality estimation of extracts, it is necessary to know the basic technological properties of raw materials. During the study, the technological properties of various lowbush blueberry species were found. The properties of leaves are the following: bulk density - from 0.08 +/- 0.001 to 0.13 +/- 0.001 g/cm(3); unit weight - from 1.20 +/- 0.003 to 2.10 +/- 0.001 g/cm(3); bulk weight - from 0.09 +/- 0.001 to 0.14 +/- 0.003 g/cm(3); porosity - from 0.04 +/- 0.001 to 0.06 +/- 0.002, void cross-section - from 0.89 +/- 0.001 to 0.95 +/- 0.001; absorption coefficient for water - from 4.99 +/- 0.10 to 6.09 +/- 0.10 cm(3)/g, 30 % ethanol - from 4.50 +/- 0.10 to 5.49 +/- 0.01 cm(3)/g, 50 % ethanol - from 4.25 +/- 0.05 to 5.03 +/- 0.05 cm(3)/g, 70 % ethanol - from 3.74 +/- 0.16 to 4.74 +/- 0.19 cm(3)/g and 96 % ethanol - from 2.75 +/- 0.15 to 3.49 +/- 0.09 cm(3)/g. The properties of fruits are the following: bulk density - from 0.57 +/- 0.001 to 0.69 +/- 0.001 g/cm(3); unit weight - from 1.32 +/- 0.059 to 1.48 +/- 0.040 g/cm(3); bulk weight - from 0.59 +/- 0.001 to 0.70 +/- 0.001 g/cm(3); porosity - from 0.02 +/- 0.001 to 0.03 +/- 0.001; void cross-section - from 0.48 +/- 0.01 to 0.59 +/- 0.001; absorption coefficient for water - from 4.06 +/- 0.16 to 4.52 +/- 0.17 cm(3)/g, 30 % ethanol - from 3.38 +/- 0.05 to 4.06 +/- 0.02 cm(3)/g, 50 % ethanol - from 3.36 +/- 0.03 to 3.94 +/- 0.08 cm(3)/g. 70 % ethanol - from 2.86 +/- 0.09 to 3.74 +/- 0.07 cm(3)/g and 96 % ethanol - from 0.94 +/- 0.04 to 1.04 +/- 0.01 cm(3)/g. The obtained data allow to predict the optimal method and conditions of bioactive substances extraction from blueberry' leaves and fruit. The data can also be used in the development of technological documentation which regulates the production process and the quality of the final product, as well as in the calculation of the process mass balance to ensure the appropriate level of profitability.