This is a study of institutional change and continuity, comparing the trajectories followed by Mozambique and its formal colonial power Portugal in HRM, based on two surveys of firm level practices. The colonial power sought to extend the institutions of the metropole in the closing years of its rule, and despite all the adjustments and shocks that have accompanied Mozambique's post-independence years, the country continues to retain institutional features and associated practices from the past. This suggests that there is a post-colonial impact on human resource management. The implications for HRM theory are that ambitious attempts at institutional substitution may have less dramatic effects than is commonly assumed. Indeed, we encountered remarkable similarities between the two countries in HRM practices, implying that features of supposedly fluid or less mature institutional frameworks (whether in Africa or the Mediterranean world) may be sustained for protracted periods of time, pressures to reform notwithstanding. This highlights the complexities of continuities which transcend formal rules; as post-colonial theories alert us, informal conventions and embedded discourse may result in the persistence of informal power and subordination, despite political and legal changes.
This is a study of institutional change and continuity, comparing the trajectories followed by Mozambique and its formal colonial power Portugal in HRM, based on two surveys of firm level practices. The colonial power sought to extend the institutions of the metropole in the closing years of its rule, and despite all the adjustments and shocks that have accompanied Mozambique's post-independence years, the country continues to retain institutional features and associated practices from the past. This suggests that there is a post-colonial impact on human resource management. The implications for HRM theory are that ambitious attempts at institutional substitution may have less dramatic effects than is commonly assumed. Indeed, we encountered remarkable similarities between the two countries in HRM practices, implying that features of supposedly fluid or less mature institutional frameworks (whether in Africa or the Mediterranean world) may be sustained for protracted periods of time, pressures to reform notwithstanding. This highlights the complexities of continuities which transcend formal rules; as post-colonial theories alert us, informal conventions and embedded discourse may result in the persistence of informal power and subordination, despite political and legal changes.
Abstract Plasmalogens are glycerophospholipids with a vinyl ether linkage at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Despite being suggested as antioxidants due to the high reactivity of their vinyl ether groups with reactive oxygen species, our study reveals the generation of subsequent reactive oxygen and electrophilic lipid species from oxidized plasmalogen intermediates. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the oxidation products by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS), we demonstrate that singlet molecular oxygen [O2 (1Δg)] reacts with the vinyl ether bond, producing hydroperoxyacetal as a major primary product (97%) together with minor quantities of dioxetane (3%). Furthermore, we show that these primary oxidized intermediates are capable of further generating reactive species including excited triplet carbonyls and O2 (1Δg) as well as electrophilic phospholipid and fatty aldehyde species as secondary reaction products. The generation of excited triplet carbonyls from dioxetane thermal decomposition was confirmed by light emission measurements in the visible region using dibromoanthracene as a triplet enhancer. Moreover, O2 (1Δg) generation from dioxetane and hydroperoxyacetal was evidenced by detection of near-infrared light emission at 1,270 nm and chemical trapping experiments. Additionally, we have thoroughly characterized alpha–beta unsaturated phospholipid and fatty aldehydes by LC–HRMS analysis using two probes that specifically react with aldehydes and alpha–beta unsaturated carbonyls. Overall, our findings demonstrate the generation of excited molecules and electrophilic lipid species from oxidized plasmalogen species unveiling the potential prooxidant nature of plasmalogen-oxidized products.
Im Jahr 2015 produzierte die deutsche Schokoladenindustrie ca. 1,02 Mio. t Schokoladenwaren mit einem Marktwert von 6,71 Mrd. €. Bei der industriellen Weiterverarbeitung der Kakaobohnen zu Halb- oder Fertigerzeugnissen muss die Kakaoschale nach der Fermentation und Röstung vom Kakaokern abgetrennt werden. Die vollständige Abtrennung ist allerdings aus technologischen Gründen nicht immer möglich. Rückstände der Kakaoschale sind jedoch in vielerlei Hinsicht als qualitätsmindernd einzustufen, insbesondere wegen der Gefahr des Eintrags von gesundheitsgefährdenden Substanzen (z. B. Mykotoxine, Schwermetallen). In Anlehnung an vergangene Gesetzgebungen sowie den international vorgegebenen Lebensmittelstandards für Kakaomasse durch die Codex-Alimentarius-Kommission hat sich in der kakaoverarbeitenden Branche ein Grenzwert von 5% Schalenanteil etabliert, welcher technologisch als nicht zu vermeiden gilt. Für die Herstellung qualitativ hochwertiger Endprodukte bei Verwendung ausgesuchter Rohstoffe und Halbfabrikate sind leistungsfähige Analysenmethoden zur Wareneingangskontrolle und zur Qualitätssicherung notwendig. Der Kakaoschalengehalt zählt zu diesen Qualitätsparametern. Bisher besteht keine Nachweismethode, welche die globale Wertschöpfungskette zu überwachen und robuste und valide Ergebnisse für den Kakaoschalengehalt zu generieren vermag. Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wurde eine Methode entwickelt, welche den Kakaoschalengehalt auf der Ebene des Metaboloms erfasst. Neben der ausgehenden Gesundheitsgefahr durch den Eintrag von Mykotoxinen und Schwermetallen soll die Methode eingesetzt werden, um kriminell motivierte Streckungen von Kakaoprodukten mit Kakaoschale zur Gewinnmaximierung aufzudecken. Für die Identifizierung der Schlüsselmetaboliten, welche in der Kakaoschale mit einer hohen und im Kakaokern mit einer möglichst kleinen Intensität nachweisbar sind, wurden non-targeted LC-ESI-QTOF Analysemethoden entwickelt und umfangreich optimiert. Die Methoden wurden für die getrennte Analyse des polaren und unpolaren Metaboloms der Kakaoschale und des Kakaokerns eingesetzt. Die Eignung der identifizierten potenziellen Schlüsselmetaboliten für einen validen Kakaoschalennachweis wurde anhand unterschiedlicher Bewertungskriterien überprüft und beurteilt. Die besten Ergebnisse wurden bei der Analyse des unpolaren Metaboloms im positiven Ionenmodus erzielt. Insgesamt konnten 17 Schlüsselmetaboliten aus fünf unterschiedlichen Stoffklassen identifiziert werden: Fettsäuretryptamide, Fettsäure-5-Hydroxy-tryptamide (Serotonin Derivate), α Tocopherol-Derivate, Triacylglycerole und Ceramide. Die Verbindungen weisen einen linearen Zusammenhang zwischen den detektierten Signalen und dem Kakaoschalengehalt im gesamten möglichen Konzentrationsbereich von 0-100 % Kakaoschalengehalt auf. Anhand der identifizierten Metaboliten wurde eine targeted LC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS Methode entwickelt und nach anerkannten Richtlinien der FDA und DIN 32645 validiert, sodass die Anforderungen für Prüfverfahren nach der DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 erfüllt sind und somit die Anwendbarkeit der Methode für akkreditierte Laboratorien in der Routineanalytik bewiesen werden konnte. Durch die Analyse einer Kakaoschalen-Kalibrierreihe und die Berechnung unterschiedlicher PLS-R Modelle konnten die Anwendbarkeit und Leistungsfähigkeit der entwickelten targeted Methode gezeigt werden. Die in der vorliegenden Arbeit entwickelte Methode zeichnet sich aufgrund des multiparametrischen Ansatzes durch eine sehr gute Vorhersagegüte, durch die Anwendbarkeit auf unterschiedliche Kakaoprodukte, die kurze Analysendauer von unter 45 min (inklusive Probenvorbereitung) und der geringen Menge an benötigten Chemikalien aus. ; In 2015, the German chocolate industry produced approximately 1.02 million tonnes of chocolate products with a market value of 6.71 billion €. During the further processing of cacao beans into semi-finished or finished products, the cocoa shell must be separated from the cocoa beans. However, absolute separation is not always possible for technological reasons. Residues of the cocoa shell can, after all, be classified as quality degrading in many respects. The most important reason for this is the introduction of hazardous substances into cocoa products via the cocoa shell (e.g. mycotoxins, heavy metals). In line with past legislation and the international food standards for cocoa mass set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the cocoa industry has established a limit value of 5 % shell content, which is technologically unavoidable. High-performance analytical methods for incoming goods inspection and quality assurance are essential for the production of high-quality products using selected raw materials and semi-finished products. The cocoa shell content is one of these quality parameters. Up to the present, no detection method has been available to monitor the global value chain and generate robust and valid results for the cocoa shell content. In this work, a method was developed which determines the cocoa shell content on the level of the metabolome. In addition to the health hazards posed by mycotoxins and heavy metals, the method can be used to detect criminally motivated stretching of cocoa products with cocoa shells in order to maximise profits. Non-targeted LC-ESI-QTOF analysis methods were developed and extensively optimised for the identification of key metabolites. The key metabolites can be found in the cocoa shell at a high and in the cocoa nibs at a low concentration. These methods were used for the separate analysis of the polar and non-polar metabolome of the cocoa shell and cocoa nibs. The suitability of the identified potential key metabolites for a valid cocoa shell detection was examined and rated according to different evaluation criteria. The best results were obtained in the analysis of the nonpolar metabolome in positive ion mode. A total of 17 key metabolites from five different substance classes were identified: Fattyacidtryptamide, Fattyacid-5-hydroxy-tryptamide (Serotonin Derivative), α-Tocopherol derivatives, Triacylglycerole and Ceramides. The compounds show a linear relationship in the entire concentration range (cocoa shell content 0-100 %). Based on the identified metabolites, a targeted LC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS method was developed and validated according to approved guidelines of the FDA and DIN 32645, so that the requirements for bioanalytical methods according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 are fulfilled and the applicability of the method for accredited laboratories in routine analysis could be proven.3 The practicability and performance of the developed targeted-method could be demonstrated by analysing a cocoa shell calibration series and calculating different PLS-R models. The developed method impresses not only by the very good predictive quality but also by the applicability for different cocoa products, and the short analysis time of less than 45 min including sample preparation and the low amount of chemicals required.
