Contents 1/2020

The purpose of the article is to present the current arrangements between the European Union and the United Kingdom concerning Brexit and assess effects of the decision about UK’s withdrawal from the EU on current and future Polish agri-food trade with the United Kingdom. The victory of the Conservative Party in UK’s parliamentary elections basically guarantees that the United Kingdom will leave the EU by the end of January 2020. During the transitional period (until the end of 2020), the trade conditions with the United Kingdom will not change. The both sides should conclude the agreement on free trade area until the end of 2020. However, this is not certain. The risk of hard Brexit still exists and is possible at the beginning of 2021. UK’s withdrawal without agreement might mean severe losses, among others for the Polish meat sector, and in particular the poultry industry.

KEY WORDS: Brexit, agri-food trade, Poland, the United Kingdom

The increase in food producer prices in 2019 did not keep up with the growing prices of the agriculture producer. It was reflected in a lower dynamic of the value of sold production and decreasing profitability of the food industry, as well as changed the structure of the basic price of the manufacturer. Traders fared better, because their profit margins did not decrease. Consumer prices were growing faster than the producer prices. It means that the increase in sales prices of food industry products has been fully passed on to the consumer, who is the last link in the food chain. Exports of the food industry products continued to grow dynamically and surplus in trade in these products also increased. Numerous mergers and acquisitions contributed concentration and consolidation processes in the food industry.

KEY WORDS: food industry, production, economic and finance results, prices, foreign trade

Fats are very important nutritive substances which provide the most of energy value. The excessive consumption of fats leads to obesity and consequently, to a number of disease such as diabetes, coronary heart or cancer. Therefore, reducing content of fat in food products is one of the strategies leading to maintain good health. The content of fat in food can be reduced by using fat replacements. However, fat in the products create taste, color, odor and texture. In order to make sensory and physical properties of products with reduced fat content similar to their traditional counterparts, when choosing a fat replacement it is necessary to pay attention on its technological properties. The paper discusses possibilities of reducing fat content in food products and and thus the energy value through the use of fat substitutes, as well as their division and functional properties.

KEY WORDS: fat replacements, division, use of fat substitutes

Groats belong to cereal products with high nutritional values, which result, among others from high fiber content, digestible complex carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral. Groats are an important element of the Poles’ diet – they are consumed as main dishes, soup additions or in the form of desserts (sweet). Health-promoting activity of groats on the human body has been demonstrated (regardless of age), therefore many meetings and programs are organized to promote this valuable product in human nutrition. The aim of the study was to analyze the state of knowledge about groats, the frequency and form in which they are consumed, mainly in households run by young mothers with reschool children. Research confirms the increased interest in groats and the appreciation of the importance of their nutritional value. An increase in the share of groats in child nutrition has been observed, with different varieties of raw material (also from wild plants) and cooking techniques used.

KEY WORDS: groats, nutritional and health values, frequency and form of consumption

For the production of cold-pressed oils, traditional raw materials are used, i.e. rapeseed or sunflowerseed (recently also their high oleic varieties), flax, but also a number of raw materials with specific chemical composition and health-promoting properties, e.g. pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, camelina, hemp, black cumin, milk thistle, evening primrose. Most of the tested oils were characterized by a low degree of lipid hydrolysis and oxidation. The standards set out in the Codex Alimentarius for these oils, for acid and peroxide values, have been exceeded in the case of black cumin, pumpkin and hemp oil. Chia and flax oil contained a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the n-3 family, mainly α-linolenic acid (64 and 54%, respectively), while in high oleic oils it was- oleic acid which is less susceptible to oxidation (73 to 83%). The highest oxidative stability determined in the Rancimat test at 120°C was found in extra virgin olive oil (10,40 h) as well as high oleic rapeseed (8,01 h) and sunflower (7,58 h) oils, while the lowest cold pressed chia seed oil (0,48 h) and flaxseed oil (0,54 h).

KEY WORDS: fatty acid composition, quality, oxidative stability, Rancimat test, commercial oils

Pouch packaging technology constitutes one of the strong trends on the food market, inscribing in the issues of sustainable development and ecology. Production of pouches requires 4 times less packaging material than for cartons of equal capacity [4], which translates into their lightness and flexibility, and thus easier transportation and storage. The same features make pouches an ideal packaging for convenient food, facilitating consumers to take a snack with them, so they can reach it at any time. With all its advantages, however, the pouch technology imposes certain rheological requirements and constraints, which are relevant at both – technological and functional level. This article distinguishes rheological features that a product packed in pouch should have, as well as measuring methods used for their determination.

KEY WORDS: pouch, rheology, measurement methods, functional properties