A simple and reproducible technique for the quantitation of the main monoterpenoid indole alkaloids from aerial tissues of Catharanthus roseus, based on in situ densitometry‐thin layer chromatography, is described. The sensitivity of this method was enough to detect the amounts of ajmalicine, catharanthine, and vindoline present in 100 mg of dried leaf tissue and in different in vitro culture systems. The main advantage of this method is that it allows the proper separation of these alkaloids using a single solvent mixture, as well as the scanning of the corresponding spots at a single wavelength, reducing the number of chromatographic plates required and the time invested in the analysis.

Cocoa bean shell (CBS) is one of the main by-products of the cocoa processing industry and represents about 20% of the bean. This product has been suggested as a food ingredient due to its aroma, high dietary fiber, and polyphenol contents. This work shows the effect of grinding degree (GD) and grinding method on the physicochemical characteristics, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of an aqueous infusion of CBS. Three particle sizes of CBS powder and two milling methods (mechanical and electrical) were used to prepare a hot water infusion. The infusions presented a pH in the range of 5.37–5.80. In both husks and independently of the GD and the grinding method, the TPC was higher than 141 mg of gallic acid equivalent per g (GAE/g), an antioxidant activity greater than 304 µg of Trolox equivalent per g (µgTE/g). The results indicate that CBS can be an excellent alternative for the design of biofunctional beverages, giving added value to this agro-industrial residue of southeastern México.