Key odorants of a Moroccan fermented milk product "Lben" using aroma extract dilution analysis.

Lben is one of the main dairy products in Morocco, which broadly plays a significant role in food industry due to its nutritional, taste, aroma and health features. Aroma is a main quality factor for this kind of fermented dairy products. In this study, aroma compounds were extracted by four different methods. According to the sensory analysis, solvent-assisted flavor evaporation exhibited the most representative and reproducible method of Lben matrices. In general, a total of 24 volatile compounds were found for the first time in Lben, including aldehyde, alcohols, acids, esters, and ketones. The Lben characteristic aroma was characterized by 15 odour-active compounds using the application of the aroma extract dilution analysis. On the basis of flavor dilution (FD) results, butanoic acid (FD = 1024, ripened cheese), acetoin (FD = 512, buttery-creamy), 2-heptanol (FD = 512, fatty) and hexanoic acid (FD = 512, cheesy-goat) were the most powerful key odorants in Lben.

Impact of some environmental factors on growth and production of ochratoxin A of/by Aspergillus tubingensis, A. niger, and A. carbonarius isolated from Moroccan grapes.

The effects of temperature, water activity (aw), incubation time, and their combinations on radial growth and ochratoxin A (OTA) production of/by eight Aspergillus niger aggregate strains (six A. tubingensis and two A. niger) and four A. carbonarius isolated from Moroccan grapes were studied. Optimal conditions for the growth of most studied strains were shown to be at 25 degrees C and 0.95 aw. No growth was observed at 10 degrees C regardless of the water activity and isolates. The optimal temperature for OTA production was in the range of 25 degrees C-30 degrees C for A. carbonarius and 30 degrees C-37 degrees C for A. niger aggregate. The optimal aw for toxin production was 0.95-0.99 for A. carbonarius and 0.90-0.95 for A. niger aggregate. Mean OTA concentration produced by all the isolates of A. niger aggregate tested at all sampling times shows that maximum amount of OTA (0.24 microg/g) was produced at 37 degrees C and 0.90 aw. However, for A. carbonarius, mean maximum amounts of OTA (0.22 microg/g) were observed at 25 degrees C and 0.99 aw. Analysis of variance showed that the effects of all single factors (aw, isolate, temperature and incubation time) and their interactions on growth and OTA production were highly significant.

Characterization of odor-active compounds in extracts obtained by simultaneous extraction/distillation from moroccan black olives.

"Greek-style" Moroccan black table olives were screened for potent odorants by GC/olfactometry/aroma extract dilution analysis of representative Likens-Nickerson extracts and compared with "Spanish-style" green fruits. ( Z)-3-Hexenal, ( E, E)-2,4-decadienal, ( E, Z)-2,4-decadienal, guaiacol, and methional were found in both green and black olives, but with significant differences in concentration according to the fruit ripening degree (the first was lower and the last two were higher in black fruits). Specific compounds not previously detected in green olives (gamma-deca- and dodecalactones, delta-decalactone, and 2-methyl-3-furanthiol) proved to be, with methional, the strongest odors in black olive extracts. These extracts were also distinguishable from green olive extracts by the presence of new sulfur compounds and fewer terpenes.

Occurrence of mycotoxins (ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol) and toxigenic fungi in Moroccan wheat grains: impact of ecological factors on the growth and ochratoxin A production.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the contamination of some samples, taken from Moroccan wheat grains, by ochratoxin A (OTA), deoxynivalenol (DON) and the associated toxigenic fungi. Moreover, we focused on the influence of environmental factors on both the growth and OTA production by three strains of Aspergillus. The results showed that only few samples were contaminated by the two mycotoxins (2 samples for OTA and 7 for DON). The main isolated fungi belong to the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genus; 74 Aspergillus and 28 Penicillium isolates were tested for their ability to produce OTA. Only 2 A. alliaceus and 14 A. niger were able to synthesize OTA. However, none of Penicillium isolates can produce this toxin under the conditions mentioned. In respect of the effects of the temperature and water activity (aw), the optimal conditions for the growth and OTA production were different. While the optimal conditions of growth for A. alliaceus and A. terreus are 30 degrees C and 0.98 aw, A. niger preferred 0.93-0.95 aw at 25 degrees C, whereas the optimal production of OTA was observed at 30 degrees C for both A. alliaceus and A. niger at 0.93 and 0.99 aw, respectively.

Screening for key odorants in Moroccan green olives by gas chromatography-olfactometry/aroma extract dilution analysis.

"Spanish style" Moroccan green table olives were screened for potent odorants by gas chromatography-olfactometry/aroma extraction dilution analysis of a representative Likens-Nickerson extract. (Z)-3-Hexenal [flavor dilution factor (FD) = 256], (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (FD = 128), and (E,Z)-2,4-decadienal (FD = 64) were revealed to confer green and coriander/paraffin oil odors to both fruit and oil extracts, whereas guaiacol (FD = 128) imparted a bad olive, phenolic note. Methional (3-methylthiopropionaldehyde, FD = 128) and several terpenes (FD