An international collaborative study was conducted on an HPLC method with fluorescent detection (FLD) for the determination of flavanols and procyanidins in materials containing chocolate and cocoa. The sum of the oligomeric fractions with degree of polymerization 1-10 was the determined content value. Sample materials included dark and milk chocolates, cocoa powder, cocoa liquors, and cocoa extracts. The content ranged from approximately 2 to 500 mg/g (defatted basis). Thirteen laboratories representing commercial, industrial, and academic institutions in six countries participated in the study. Fourteen samples were sent as blind duplicates to the collaborators. Results from 12 laboratories yielded repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr) values that were below 10% for all materials analyzed, ranging from 4.17 to 9.61%. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSD(R)) values ranged from 5.03 to 12.9% for samples containing 8.07 to 484.7 mg/g. In one sample containing a low content of flavanols and procyanidins (approximately 2 mg/g), the RSD(R) was 17.68%. Based on these results, the method is recommended for Official First Action for the determination of flavanols and procyanidins in chocolate, cocoa liquors, powder(s), and cocoa extracts.

The effects of levels of antioxidant [gallic acid or ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA)] in a sunflower oil salad dressing emulsion (SOSDE) and shelf life affecting conditions on aroma, anisidine values (AV) and peroxide values (PV) were determined. Aroma differences between products with different concentrations of antioxidants were more apparent for ambient than accelerated stored SOSDEs. Aroma differences were more noted between SOSDEs with different antioxidants than antioxidant concentrations per se. PV differences between accelerated stored SOSDEs with high and low EDTA concentrations were found. AV differences existed between SOSDEs with different gallic acid concentrations for both storage conditions, and for accelerated stored SOSDEs with different EDTA concentrations. The accelerated storage model is more suitable for SOSDEs with metal chelator antioxidants e.g. EDTA, than free radical scavenging antioxidants e.g. gallic acid. PV, AV and aroma of accelerated stored SOSDEs do not clearly predict ambient shelf life.

One of the world’s oldest spices, cinnamonis also one of the most popular. Species of the genus Cinnamomum offer a variety of extractable oils with aroma and flavor characteristicsof importance to the flavor industry, so differentiating cinnamon samples for culinary-based applicationsis very important. Cinnamon also has reported healthbenefits associated with specific phytochemical constituents, but its composition can vary greatly depending on species and source region. A substantial amount of the research reported on cinnamon does notprovide thorough documentation of the source and taxonomic identification of the study material, a very common issue with studies of food and medicinal plants.In the interest of providing some clarity to the discussion of the health benefits and culinary attributes of the different cinnamon types in the marketplace, we offer the results of a long-term chemotaxonomic study of cinnamon samples sourced from different regions of the world and link those chemical data to classical taxonomic identification of the source plants. We provide details of the effective use of an automated chemotaxonomic analytical method to differentiate cinnamons from various geographic regions. Also included are chromatographic data for the polyphenolic/procyanidin fractions of each species, as cinnamon type-A procyanidins are often the purported source of biological activity in cinnamon and cinnamon extracts.

A collaborative study was conducted on a gas chromatographic method for determining metribuzin. Two 75% dry flow able and two 42% liquid flowable formulations were analyzed by 18 laboratories. Formulations were extracted by shaking or ultrasonic mixing for 1-5 min with methylene chloride which contained di-n-butyl phthalate as an internal standard. The extracts were injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with an OV-225 column. Peak area ratios and peak height ratios showed no significant difference. The reproducibility coefficient of variation was 0.75% for the 75% formulation and 1.41% for the 42% formulation. This GC method has been adopted official first action.

A gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) method for determining Bolstar insecticide in liquid technical material and emulsifiable concentrate formulations was collaboratively studied using Youden’s matched pair scheme. Three matched sample pairs were analyzed by 21 laboratories using integrator area measurements and/or peak height measurements. Samples of a technical material containing about 78% active ingredient, a commercial 6 lb/ gal. emulsifiable concentrate containing about 64% active ingredient, and a synthetic emulsifiable concentrate containing about 64% active ingredient were dissolved in a measured amount of internal standard solution, tetracosane in toluene, and were subjected to gas-liquid chromatography on a column of 1.5% SE-30 + 1.5% OV-210. Bolstar was detected using flame ionization. The mean coefficient of variation by integrator area measurement for the 6 samples was 1.22%, and the mean coefficient of variation by peak height measurement for the 6 samples was 1.65%. The method was adopted as official first action.