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A simple, fast and ecological analytical method using a semi-automatic fat extractor and HPLC-FLD (fluorescence detection) for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon markers i.e. benzo(a)anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chr), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) in cocoa butter has been validated. Validation’s procedure performed out in concordance with French standard NF V03-110 (2010) was based on existing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) determination methods in various smoked foodstuffs and edible vegetable oils. Determination of correlation coefficients for specific PAHs ranged from 0.9992 to 0.9998. Respective values of limits of detection were 0.010, 0.011, 0.033 and 0.029 μg kg−1 and those of quantification were 0.035, 0.038, 0.111 and 0.098 μg kg−1 for BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP. Both values of repeatability and intermediary precision tests coefficients of variation were less than 5%. Recovery scores of four PAH markers matched EU standard 836/2011 recommendations. Sum of four PAH markers (BaA, Chr, BbF, BaP) contents varied from 5.42 ± 0.58 to 11.37 ± 0.01 μg kg−1 whereas those of BaP was comprised between 0.26 ± 0.00 and 1.75 ± 0.13 μg kg−1 in 20 cocoa butter samples extracted from raw cocoa bean stored at Ivorian cocoa farmer levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mango fruit ( Mangifera indica L.) is highly perishable and must therefore be quickly stabilized. Drying appears to be one of the most promising stabilization solutions. The traditional mango drying process can be divided into two phases: the first, which is performed at ~80 °C for 10 to 12 h, sees water activity ( a) decline from 0.98 to 0.8. During the second phase, the drying temperature is reduced to 50 °C until a reaches ~0.6. These conditions are highly favorable to enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions (1st and 2nd step, respectively). The focus of this work was therefore to highlight the effects resulting from the coupling of a and temperature on the development of these classes of reactions during the whole process. Several precursors (reducing sugars and amino acids) and intermediary products of the Maillard reaction were analyzed to estimate non-enzymatic reaction intensity when polyphenoloxidase (PPO) was associated with enzymatic browning. We were able to show that the highest production of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) as a Maillard reaction marker occurs mainly for an a of 0.6. Kinetic analysis of Maillard reaction precursors and intermediate products in model mango system helped us identify asparagine and arginine as limiting precursors, and 5-HMF as a significant a-dependent product. The impact of the a on the thermal degradation of PPO proved to be radically different. After 8 h at 40 °C, the PPO was almost totally inhibited if this treatment is conducted on a sample at a 0.65, while residual activity was estimated to be 69.4 % for a sample at a 0.98. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]