Plantae Mountain Products

Bearing Essential Oils,
Support
for Animalia Products,
Mountain Economy and
Human Food
Behaviour
 
Covaci Brîndusa, Mihai Covaci

CBM International University / Centre for Mountain

Economy / Hyperion University
In the context of COVID-19, consumers must be aware of the importance
of healthy nutrition and a balanced lifestyle. Ensuring the necessary with
healthy food, but especially with a probiotic role, is an imperative of life in
a pandemic. The paper proposes as probiotics, for the prevention and
combating of COVID-19, three types of groups of mountain products
known to have the role of natural medicine, namely Allium sativum – garlic
(vegetable products category), honey (bee products category), fermented
dairy products ( whole milk, yogurt, kefir, whipped milk, curdled milk,
sour milk, thick milk). The mentioned probiotics were chosen from the
Register of mountain products from Romania, they present low percentages
in relation to other mountain products.

2
The methods used in the work are of a qualitative type, by studying the
official documents from Romania with a mountainous character,
respectively of a quantitative type by creating a general statistical table
regarding the probiotics proposed in the article. The research results show
that mountain producers emphasize certain mountain products used as
probiotics, namely honey, partially neglecting the marketing of the other
mountain products proposed in the article. Knowing this information, the
decision-makers in ensuring nutritional education in Romania can support
information campaigns, in the context of COVID-19, in order to
emphasize the consumption of certain mountain products with a probiotic
character. The paper proposes to mountain producers in Romania the
development of production and trade with the probiotics mentioned in the
article, as well as ensuring the education of the population in terms of a
balanced lifestyle and healthy nutrition.
3
Dairy products are often used as natural probiotics, especially in Romania.
The most widely used mountain products with probiotic characteristics are
yogurt or similar derived products, such as kefir, sana, thick milk, etc.
Probiotic dairy products have been analyzed and shown that, in addition to
nutritional benefits, they positively influence the physiology of the human
body. Dairy beverages (fermented or non-fermented) are considered foods
that provide probiotics. In the fermentation process, lactic, acetic and citric
acid are naturally obtained, acids that are frequently used in the food
industry to improve the organoleptic qualities of several products intended
for consumption.

4
The father of the paradigm that yogurt is one of the most powerful
probiotics, especially for the digestive system, was Elie Metchnikoff, winner
of the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He postulated in the famous public
presentation "Old Age", held at the Society of French Farmers in Paris on
June 8, 1904, that the dependence between lactic acid bacteria and food
makes it possible to apply methods of modifying the intestinal flora by
replacing bad bacteria with beneficial ones. He suggested that yogurt
bacteria prevented and annihilated intestinal bacterial infections and
hypothesized that regular yogurt consumption extended life. Lactic acid
bacteria produce microbial metabolism, and the effect is a decrease in
intestinal pH, which stops the proliferation of various proteolytic bacterial
species. In this way, Metchnikoff starts the popularization of yogurt in
Europe as a functional food with health benefits.
5
Registrul Național al Produselor Montane, August 2021
Regarding plant resources, Romania is specialized in the use of different
plants as natural probiotics. But, the most used plant resource is Allium
sativum (garlic). The consumption of garlic, as a natural probiotic, is as old
in Romania as in many other countries around the world. Garlic is listed in
the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The variants of garlic intake (capsules, aqueous extract, old alcoholic extract,
etc.) are not very popular in Romania, the preference being clear for the raw
version.
The multiple health effects of garlic are known. The most important natural
garlic extract is aged garlic extract. "Garlic contains high levels of
phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and zinc; moderate levels of selenium,
vitamin A and C; and low levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron,
manganese and B vitamins.
7
 Registrul
Național al
Produselor
Montane,
August
2021

8
Natural honey, one of the most complex foods and probiotics, contains
about 200 substances. The physico-chemical analysis shows that mountain
honey has higher quality values than other types of honey. Manna honey
contains many minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus,
selenium), antioxidants, organic acids, bioflavonoids, vitamins (especially
C and group B), inhibin (a powerful bactericide) and enzymes. Minerals,
proteins and some acids are found in amounts five to ten times higher in
mountain honey than in other types of honey.

9
  Miere de mană Miere polifloră (salcâm cu miere de
(Maramureș, România) munte)
(Moldova, Romania)

Aparență Maro închis Galben deschis

Methylglyoxal - - INCD
Indicele distazic 29,4±0,18; unities on Goethe 29,4±0,18; unities on Goethe Apicultură,
Buletin de
Sucroză (β-D-Fructofuranosyl α-D- 2,41±0,43; %, g/g 2,19±0,39; %, g/g
glucopyranoside) analiză
39/29.01.2021
Reducător de zahăr 76,18±3,40; %, g/g 75,67±3,37; %, g/g
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural 0,10±0,01; mg/100g of honey 0,19±0,03; mg/100g of honey

PH 3,00±0,46; mililiters NaOH solutions 2,80±0,43; mililiters NaOH solutions

1N/100 g of honey 1N/100 g of honey

Conținut de umiditate 17,20±0,24; %, g/g 16,80±0,24; %, g/g

Analiza polenică manna – 98%, mountain polyflora – 2% linden – 95%, manna – 5%

Conductivitate electrică 0,55 mS/cm -

Cenusă 0,21±0,02; %, g/g 0,44±0,03; %, g/g
Fructoză 41,06; %, g/g 40,10; %, g/g
(3S,4R,5R)-1,3,4,5,6-Pentahydroxyhexan-2-one)

Glucoză 35,12; %, g/g 35,57; %, g/g

(2R,3S,4R,5R)-2,3,4,5,6-Pentahydroxyhexanal) 10
Registrul Național al Produselor Montane, August 2021
11
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Thank you for your
attention!
Q&A
Brîndușa Covaci

zealandina.agency@gmail.com,
contact@cbmuniversity.org