SUMMARY
The purpose of the study is to determine the structural and mechanical properties of Turkish delight based on the fruit and vegetable paste made from pumpkin, quince and apples, made according to the developed technology. The developed method of production of Turkish delight with fruit and vegetable paste allows to achieve a double effect of the introduction of technology, namely to increase the content of functional ingredients in Turkish delight, as well as to achieve a technological one. Which consists in improved structural and mechanical properties of the locum mass and the finished product, and also allows to achieve original sensory characteristics without the use of dyes and flavorings. The significant content of pectin substances (4.31 % per 100 g) in the fruit and vegetable paste made it possible to achieve a reduction in the recipe content of starch in the technology of Turkish delight. This was confirmed by determining the structural and mechanical properties of the mass and the finished product. Thus, the rational content of starch is set at the level of 80 % of its prescription amount. According to the nature of the curves of the dependence of viscosity on the shear rate and the presence of the ultimate shear stress, locum mass belongs to non-ideally plastic solids. The viscosity index of the locum mass sample with paste and reduced starch content by 20 % has a value similar to the control. Also positive is the shortening of the process of cooking the locum mass in a vacuum-evaporator by 15...20 minutes due to its higher initial dry matter content compared to the control sample. The determination by an expert group of scientists of the indicators of quality in terms of structure and appearance according to a five-point rating showed that the obtained Turkish delight with paste has better indicators. The developed Turkish delight technology can be recommended for healthy nutrition