| Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 12124611 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The Maya archaeological site at Colha in northern Belize, Central America, has yielded several spouted ceramic vessels that contain residues from the preparation of food and beverages. Here we analyse dry residue samples by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization mass spectrometry, and show that chocolate (Theobroma cacao) was consumed by the Preclassic Maya as early as 600 bc, pushing back the earliest chemical evidence of cacao use by some 1,000 years. Our application of this new and highly sensitive analytical technique could be extended to the identification of other ancient foods and beverages. |
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Authors:
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W Jeffrey Hurst; Stanley M Tarka; Terry G Powis; Fred Valdez; Thomas R Hester |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Historical Article; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Nature Volume: 418 ISSN: 0028-0836 ISO Abbreviation: Nature Publication Date: 2002 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2002-07-18 Completed Date: 2002-08-09 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0410462 Medline TA: Nature Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 289-90 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Hershey Foods Technical Center, PO Box 805, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. whurst@hersheys.com |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Archaeology
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methods Belize Beverages / history* Cacao / chemistry, history* Ceramics / history Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid History, Ancient Mass Spectrometry Theobromine / analysis |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Ceramics; 83-67-0/Theobromine |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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