Combination of Standard Addition and Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry for the Accurate Determination of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid in Infant Formula.

In the melamine scandals of the early 2000s, different companies of the dairy industry cheated their products by applying chemical substances to feign a higher content of nitrogen. However, this had a severe toxic impact on the kidney health of consumers. As a result, tremendous effort was put into the prevention of further harm to the public.

Evolution of the Polyphenol and Terpene Content, Antioxidant Activity and Plant Morphology of Eight Different Fiber-Type Cultivars of L. Cultivated at Three Sowing Densities.

The chemical composition of the inflorescences of eight different fibre-type L. cultivars grown in Switzerland was monitored for different sowing densities over the season 2019. HPLC-MS, GC-MS and GC-FID, as well as spectrophotometric techniques were used to measure the total phenolic content (TPC) and the antioxidative activity of the inflorescence extracts, and to characterise and quantify the flavonoids and terpenes produced by the different cultivars over different sowing densities from July to September 2019.

Influence of two anti-fungal Lactobacillus fermentum-Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-cultures on cocoa bean fermentation and final bean quality.

The growth of filamentous fungi during the spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation leads to inferior cocoa bean quality and poses a health risk for consumers due to the potential accumulation of mycotoxins. We recently developed anti-fungal cultures with the capacity to inhibit the growth of mycotoxigenic filamentous fungi on cocoa beans. However, it is not clear how these anti-fungal cultures affect the fermentation process and cocoa bean quality.

Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Profile of Selected Organic and Conventional Honeys from Poland.

Honey is a natural food product hypothesized to have significant health-beneficial value. The results of recent studies indicate that the biological activity of honey can also be ascribed to phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. The aims of this study were: To determine the phenolic profiles of several varieties of Polish honey and their correlation with various factors influencing the quality of honey, plus to verify the impact of production method (organic/conventional) and the pollen content on these profiles.

Characterization of Phenolic Compounds and Their Contribution to Sensory Properties of Olive Oil.

Olive oil is not only known for its pungent, bitter, and fruity taste, but also for its health potential, which is often hypothesized to depend on its phenolic compounds. One hundred extra virgin olive oil samples (monocultivaric as well as blends of varieties) were assessed with regard to their sensory properties and phenolic compound composition. Nineteen phenolic compounds have been determined and correlated with sensory data.

Characterization of the Flavor Properties of Dark Chocolates Produced by a Novel Technological Approach and Comparison with Traditionally Produced Dark Chocolates.

Dark chocolates produced by a novel technological approach (NCs) were characterized in comparison with those traditionally produced (TCs) by sensory evaluation, gas chromatography-olfactometry in combination with aroma extract dilution analysis, quantitation of the aroma-relevant chocolate odorants by stable isotope dilution assays, and calculation of the odor activity values (OAVs). The results of the sensory investigation by cluster analysis clearly showed a differentiation between the NC and the TC samples. The findings of the aroma measurements revealed that NCs were characterized by low OAVs of volatile acids such as acetic and 3-methylbutanoic acid and high OAVs especially for the esters ethyl 2-methylbutanoate and ethyl 3-methylbutanoate in comparison to TC samples.

Bioactive Compound Fingerprint Analysis of Aged Raw Pu'er Tea and Young Ripened Pu'er Tea.

Pu'er tea produced from var. is a widely appreciated and consumed beverage that can be divided into two kinds of tea depending on the different fermentation processed used, the special sensory characteristics, and their chemical composition. However, authentication seems to be very important for such teas, as they are traded to comparatively high prices, especially in Europe.

HPTLC fingerprint profile analysis of cocoa proanthocyanidins depending on origin and genotype.

Cocoa beans are rich in bioactive phytochemicals such as alkaloids, anthocyanins, as well as monomeric and oligomeric flavan-3-ols. A high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for a fast analysis of a fingerprint of bioactive compounds present in cocoa beans depending on genotype and origin. Evaluation was performed using HPTLC followed by densitometry.

A lab-scale model system for cocoa bean fermentation.

Lab-scale systems modelling the spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation process are useful tools to research the influence of process parameters on the fermentation and the final bean quality. In this study in Honduras, a 1-kg lab-scale fermentation (LS-F) was compared to a 300-kg on-farm fermentation (OF-F) in a multiphasic approach, analysing microbial counts, microbial species diversity, physico-chemical parameters, and final dried bean quality. Yeast and total aerobic counts of up to 8 log CFU/g during the LS-F were comparable to the OF-F, while counts for lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria were up to 3 log CFU/g lower during the LS-F than during the OF-F.

Determination of oligomeric proanthocyanidins and their antioxidant capacity from different chocolate manufacturing stages using the NP-HPLC-online-DPPH methodology.

Cocoa beans are a well-known source of antioxidant polyphenols. Especially individual oligomeric proanthocyanidins demonstrated a significant contribution to the total antioxidant activity of cocoa compared to monomeric compounds. An NP-HPLC-online-DPPH assay was developed for separating the homologous series of oligomeric proanthocyanidins and the simultaneous assessment of their antioxidant capacity in relation to the degree of polymerization (DP).

Extraction of cocoa proanthocyanidins and their fractionation by sequential centrifugal partition chromatography and gel permeation chromatography.

Cocoa beans contain secondary metabolites ranging from simple alkaloids to complex polyphenols with most of them believed to possess significant health benefits. The increasing interest in these health effects has prompted the need to develop techniques for their extraction, fractionation, separation, and analysis. This work provides an update on analytical procedures with a focus on establishing a gentle extraction technique.

XRF-analysis of fine and ultrafine particles emitted from laser printing devices.

In this work, the elemental composition of fine and ultrafine particles emitted by ten different laser printing devices (LPD) is examined. The particle number concentration time series was measured as well as the particle size distributions. In parallel, emitted particles were size-selectively sampled with a cascade impactor and subsequently analyzed by the means of XRF.