Antioxidant cocoa

RICHELLE M, TAVAZZi I, OFFORD E (2001) Comparison of the antioxidant activity of commonly consumed polyphenolic beverages (coffee, cocoa, and tea) prepared per cup serving , J Agric Food Chem, 49 (7) 3438-42. 

Lamuela-Raventos RM, Andres-Lacueva C, Permanyer J and Izquierdo-Pulido M. 2001. More antioxidants in cocoa. J Nutr 130(8S Suppl) 2109S-2114S. 

Maleyki A, Jalil M and Ismail A. 2008. Polyphenols in cocoa and cocoa products is there a link between antioxidant properties and health Molecules 13 2190-2219. 

Kris-Etherton PM and Keen CL. 2002. Evidence that the antioxidant flavonoids in tea and cocoa are beneficial for cardiovascular health. Curr Opin Lipidol 13(1) 41—49. 

Lee KW, Kim YJ, Lee HJ and Lee CY. 2003. Cocoa has more phenolic phytochemicals and a higher antioxidant capacity than teas and red wine. J Agric Food Chem 51 7292-7295. 

Adamson, G.E. et al., HPLC method for the quantification of procyanidins in cocoa and chocolate samples and correlation to total antioxidant capacity, J. Agric. Food Chem., 47, 4184, 1999. 

Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton believes that there is something to the chocolate effect, and he came to Belmont to tell us about his intriguing research. Vinson has determined the total polyphenol content of various chocolates and has also found a way of measuring how effective these mixtures are in preventing the oxidation of human ldl in a test tube. In other words, he has calculated a phenol antioxidant index, which takes into account both the quantity and the quality of these desirable substances. At the symposium Vinson reported that cocoa powder and dark chocolate are the best, followed by milk chocolate. Instant cocoa mixes trail the field. Then Vinson delivered the kicker chocolate has more, and better, polyphenols than fruits or vegetables and more than red wine. A forty-gram bar of dark chocolate has as many polyphenols as a cup of that widely promoted antioxidant cocktail we call tea. But there is still the matter of chocolate s fat content. Researchers tell us, though, that at least half of it is stearic acid, which does not raise blood cholesterol. 

Verstraeten SV. Hammmerstone JF. Keen CL, Fraga CG, Oteiza PL. 2005. Antioxidant and membrane effects of procyabidin dimers and trmeis isolated from peanut and Cocoa. J Agric Food Chem 53 5041-5048. 

Chocolate has antioxidant properties for low-density lipoproteins and hence could prevent heart disease. Foods and beverages derived from cocoa beans have been consumed by humans since 460 a.d. Cocoa pods from the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) are harvested and the beans removed and fermented. Dried and roasted beans contain about 300 chemicals including caffeine, theobromine, and phenethylamine. Chocolate liquor is prepared by finely grinding the nib of the cocoa bean and is the basis for all chocolate products. Cocoa powder is made by removing part of the cocoabutter from the liquor. Bittersweet chocolate, sometimes called dark chocolate, contains between 15 and 60% chocolate liquor, the remainder being cocoa butter, sugar, and other additives. Milk chocolate is the predominant form of chocolate consumed in the U.S. and typically contains 10 to 12% chocolate liquor. 

The appeal of chocolate is universal, but the pleasures of eating chocolate products may perhaps be tempered by their fat and sugar content. However, in a series of human feeding studies it has been shown that the high proportion of stearic acid in the cocoa butter of chocolate does not adversely affect plasma lipids. Two recent reports of antioxidant activity have increased interest in the health aspects of chocolate an in vitro low-density liposprotein (LDL) oxidation study and a short-term in vivo study. Epicatechin, the major monomeric polyphenol antioxidant in chocolate, and an extract of chocolate liquor were both found to stimulate cellular immune response in vitro. 

The quality of the phenol antioxidants was assessed by Vinson et al. (1999) using the IC50 for LDL + VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) oxidation, with smaller values indicating a higher quality. Quality of the antioxidants was due to free-radical scavenging activity and not chelation as the concentration of polyphenols for 50% inhibition was < 1 xM and cupric ion 25 xM in the oxidation medium. There was less percent variation within the groups for this parameter than for the total polyphenol content. The quality order was dark chocolate > cocoa > milk chocolate. The dark chocolate and cocoa were significantly different from the milk chocolate (p < 0.05), but not... 

L2. Lamuela-Raventos, R. M., Andres-Lacueva, C., Permanyer, J., and Izquierdo-Pulido, M., More antioxidants in cocoa. J. Nutr. 131, 834 (2001). 

The flavour of cocoa butter is determined by both the geographical origin of the beans and the deodorization conditions. Deodorization reduces the levels of free fatty acids but also some antioxidant compounds such as tocopherols. Deodorized butters are therefore often blended with expressed cocoa butter for better stability of the product. 

Tocopherols and tocotrienols are precursors of vitamin E and are important antioxidants in oils. Their reactivity means that they are not stable to many oil processing procedures, including deodorization, which reduces levels by up to 15%. Levels of tocopherols in cocoa butter are usually about 100-300 mg/kg, with the y-isomer (IV) being the major component (about 90%), but they can be entirely absent (Lipp et al., 2001) (Figure 3.3). Tocotrienols have a similar structure with unsaturation of alternate bonds along the alkyl chain. Only y-tocotrienol is found in cocoa butter and this at low levels (< 5 mg/kg). Palm oil is notably high in tocopherols and tocotrienols, of which a-tocopherol and a-tocotrienol make up 20% to 30% each with most of the remainder as y-tocotrienol. 

Antioxidant and disease prevention capacities of proanthocyanidins from cocoa, grape seed, cranberries, and Pycnogenols (French pine... 

Gu, L. House, S.E. Rooney, L.W. Prior, R.L. 2008. Sorghum extrusion increases bioavailability of catechins in weanling pigs. J. Agric. Food Chem. 56 1283-1288. Gu, L. House, S.E. Wu, X. Ou, B. Prior, R.L. 2006. Procyanidin and catechin contents and antioxidant capacity of cocoa and chocolate products. J. Agric. Food Chem. 54 4057-4061. 

Stahl, L. Miller, K. Apgar, J. Sweigart, D. Stuart, D. McHale, N. Ou, B. Kondo, M. Flurst, W. 2009. Preservation of cocoa antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, flavan-3-ols, and procyanidin content in foods prepared with cocoa powder. J. Food Sci. 74 C456-C461. 

Not surprisingly, much of the research on cocoa has been done in the Netherlands, a country famous for its hot cocoa. A study of elderly Dutch men indicates that eating or drinking cocoa is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced mortality. Interestingly, the reduction in the death rate was not associated with lower blood pressure. The researchers speculate that cocoa s rich content of biofiavonols, which are potent antioxidants, may be responsible for that very desirable benefit. 

Fractionation technology, in particular solvent fractionation, has been utilized to produce some very highly specialized edible oil products. High-stability liquid oils, with AOM stability results of 350 hours minimum without the beneht of added antioxidants, and cocoa butter equivalents are two examples of products that can be produced with fractionation technology. Fractionation technologies may also be used to produce basestocks for utilization as components in hnished products for various applications. 

Refined de-oiled lecithin can also be blended with carriers such as cocoa butter, hard butters, medium-chain triglycerides, or other diluents to obtain products with more functionality and different physical characteristics. Up to 40% phospholipids may be incorporated in these carriers without the use of solvents. These products are usually stabilized against autoxidation by the addition of antioxidants (33). De-oiled lecithin should be packaged as soon as possible to prevent moisture... 

The deodorization of cocoa butter is necessary to reduce free fatty acid content and to give a product that satisfies the present day requirement of a neutral bland flavor. Deodorization is a suitable method for partially eliminating chlorinated insecticides from cocoa butter. The normal deodorization temperatures are in the range 160-180°C. The oxidative stability of various cocoa butters listed in Table 4 shows extremely high values, and these are unaffected during the deodorization process. Stability against oxidation depends on natural antioxidants present in cocoa butters. The tocopherol composition in Table 5 shows a predominance of... 

The confectionery industry utilizes the emulsification, antistick, and viscosity properties of lecithin and benefits from the concurrent effects of shelf-life extension, texture improvement, and decreased production costs (83). A product such as caramel will not blend correctly in the absence of lecithin. Uniform dispersion of fat, aided by lecithin, will decrease stickiness and provide tenderness for ease of cutting. The natural antioxidant properties of lecithin slow the decay of any product in which it is incorporated. Viscosity is very important in the chocolate industry where shape is often a requirement for consumer acceptability. High concentrations of butter, such as cocoa butter, impart high viscosity, which in turn makes... 

The objective of this paper is to summarize some of the recent research that has been conducted on the potential nutritional value of cocoa, with a focus on its ability to serve as a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants. 

While the positive health benefits associated with the consumption of a flavonoid-rich diet cannot be attributed to any one factor, the antioxidant properties of certain flavonoids have been the focus of considerable attention [8]. The antioxidant actions of chocolate flavonoids were first studied inhibiting LDL-oxidation [9,10]. As a consequence of the availability of purified procyanidins from cocoa (dimer-decamer), this particular family of... 

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