Abstract

In this work, the oxidation of polyphenols during drying of cocoa beans by using microwaves (MWs), applied in an ON-OFF mode, was studied. Phenolic compounds were quantified in cocoa beans before and after drying. Total phenolics content was analyzed by using some analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To study the oxidation process in-situ, an innovative methodology was proposed based on the counting of the coloring of the polyphenols contained in the parenchyma cells of the cocoa beans (cotyledon). The level of coloration in the inner zone and the surface of the dried cocoa beans showed that degradation of polyphenol compounds during the drying does not obey to a transport mechanism (diffusion), but in-situ oxidative processes.

摘要

在这项工作中，研究了使用微波 (MW) 在可可豆干燥过程中以 ON-OFF 模式应用的多酚氧化。在干燥前后对可可豆中的酚类化合物进行了定量。通过使用诸如傅里叶变换红外 (FTIR) 光谱和高效液相色谱 (HPLC) 等一些分析技术来分析总酚类物质的含量。为了研究原位氧化过程，提出了一种基于可可豆（子叶）薄壁细胞中所含多酚颜色计数的创新方法。内部区域和干燥可可豆表面的着色水平表明，干燥过程中多酚化合物的降解不服从传输机制（扩散），而是原位氧化过程。