Caffeine, cacao bean

For many years oral xanthines, shown in Table 2, were the preferred first-line treatment for asthma in the United States, and if the aerosol and oral formulations of P2" go sts are considered separately, as they are in Table 1, this was still the case in 1989. Within this class of compounds theophylline (8), or one of its various salt forms, such as aminophylline [317-34-0] (theophylline ethylenediamine 2 l), have been the predominant agents. Theophylline, 1,3-dimethylxanthine [58-55-9], is but one member of a class of naturally occurring alkaloids. Two more common alkaloids are theobromine (9), isomeric with theophylline and the principal alkaloid in cacao beans, and caffeine, (10), 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine [58-08-2], found in coffee and tea. 

Although low levels of methylxanthines have been detected in the leaves and flowers of T. cacao, the primary storage location is within the seed or bean.16 The cocoa bean is the major natural source of the methylxanthine theobromine, but contains only small amounts of caffeine. Theophylline has been detected in cacao beans, but at such low concentrations that its presence generally is ignored. Together, theobromine and caffeine account for up to 99% of the alkaloid content of T. cacao beans. Alkaloid content is affected by genetic makeup, maturity of beans at harvest, and fermentation process. Analytical methodology also is partially responsible for some of the disparity in methylxanthine values since many early methods were unable to separate theobromine and caffeine. 

Chocolate liquor is the solid or semiplastic food prepared by finely grinding the nib of the cacao bean. It is commonly called baking chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, or bitter chocolate and, in Europe, is frequently referred to as chocolate mass or cocoa paste. Chocolate liquor is essentially the starting point from which all chocolate products are produced. Table 5 lists the theobromine and caffeine content of 22 various chocolate liquor samples determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The liquors averaged 1.22% theobromine and 0.214% caffeine.27- 28 The ratio of theobromine to caffeine ranged from 2.5 1 to 23.0 1. 

The organic analyses contained traces of theobromine, or 3, 7-dimethylxanthine (Fig. 5.10), a caffeine-like chemical abundant in the cacao bean, but not produced in abundance by other plants. Theobromine is a smoking-gun indicator for cacao and chocolate. Henderson and others were able to find theobromine traces in pots from northern Honduras, as old as 1000 to 1400 bc. 

Tea is made by processing the leaves of the tea tree Camellia sinensis, which originated in the southern areas of Yunnan province in China, and is now spread throughout the world. This plant has been used as a medicine for 5,000 years, and was probably first selected because its leaves contain a high concentration of caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, and other caffeine-containing plant products, such as coffee beans, cacao beans, guarana berries, kola nuts, and mate leaves, have been selected and used to make beverages by people on various continents. 

Caffeine (syn. thein, coffeine, guarine) acts as a central stimulant, and is present in tea, coffee, mat6 leaves, guarana paste and cola nuts. Theobromine is the principal allraloid of cacao beans (1.5-3%) and is also present in cola nuts and tea. Theobromine is usually prepared from cacao bean hulls, which con-... 

Caffeine is a drug with stimulating effects. It is found in foods, beverages, and medicines, and it occurs naturally in plant products such eis coffee, tea, cacao beans, kola nuts, mate drink, and guarana paste. More than 63 species of plants growing in all parts of the world contain caffeine in their leaves, seeds, or fruit. Pure caffeine is obtained (1) as a by-product from the manufacture of decaffeinated coffee, (2) from the extraction of coffee bean and tea leaf waste, and (3) from the methylation of theobromine obtained from cocoa waste. Most Americans consume some caffeine. Recently, there has been considerable concern as to the effect of caffeine on health. 

In live cocoa seeds, the methylxanthines are localized in polyphenolic storage cells. Bean death, which occurs 24 to 48 h after initiation of fermentation, triggers diffusion of the methylxanthines from the nib to the shell. The early studies of Humphries state that cacao cotyledons lose about 40% of their theobromine during fermentation.17 According to Knapp and Wadsworth, the loss of theobromine and caffeine becomes significant on the third day when the methylxanthines begin to diffuse into the shell.18 This migration continues until the concentration of the methylxanthines in nibs and shell are almost equal. 

This chapter has compiled and evaluated information on the methylxanthine composition of cocoa and various chocolate foods and beverages, as well as the consumption pattern for these commodities. Cacao is the major natural source of the xanthine base theobromine. Small amounts of caffeine are present in the bean along with trace amounts of theophylline. Numerous factors, including varietal type and fermentation process, influence the methylxanthine content of beans. 

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 two alkaloids theobromine and theophylline are isomeric, theobromine being the 3-7-di-methyl xanthine and theophylline the I-3-di-methyl xanthine. Theobromine is the principal alkaloid of the cocoa bean. Cacao theohroma. It occurs also in small amounts in kola nuts and tea leaves. Theophylline is present in small amounts in tea. They both resemble caffeine in being crystalline, weak bases. 

Caffeine is also found in tea leaves from Camellia sinensis (up to 5 %) and in the seeds of cola nuts (Cola nitida, up to 2 %). Mat6 (Paraguay tea. Ilex para-guariensis, with 0.3-1.5%) and the seeds of the cocoa plant (Theobroma cacao, with 0.05%) show a significantly lower content. The main alkaloid in cocoa beans is theobromine. 

These two methylated xanthines are found in quite a number of plants and have been extracted and widely used for centuries. Indeed, they very hkely have been, and remain today, the predominant stimulant consumed by humans. Every time you make a cup of tea or coffee, you perform an aqueous extraction of plant material (tea leaves. Camellia sinenis, 1 %, or coffee beans, Coffea spp., 1-2%) to obtain a dose of 25-100 mg of caffeine. Caffeine is also the active substance (—2%) in mate (used in Paraguay as a tea) made from the leaves of Ilex paraguensis. In coffee and tea, caffeine is the dominant member of the pair, whereas in Theobroma cacao, from which we obtain cocoa, theobromine (1-3%) is the primary source of the biological response. Caffeine acts to stimulate the central nervous system with its main impact on the cerebral cortex, and as it makes one more alert, it is no surprise that it is the chief constituent in No-Doz pills. 

The most well-known purine alkaloid is caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) 1 which, along with theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) 2, accumulates in leaves of tea and mate and beans of coffee and cacao, which are popular components of nonalcoholic beverages and/or chocolate products [2]. The pharmacological effects of purine alkaloids in animals, such as stimulation of the central nervous system, have been investigated extensively [3]. Caffeine is also often utilized in cytological studies to induce the formation of binucleate cells and is, therefore, used to measure the duration of the mitotic cycle [4]. 

The total alkaloid content of cocoa beans Theobroma cacao, Sterculiaceae) is in the range of from 0.7 to 3.2% of dry matter. The main alkaloid is theobromine, the content of which is 0.6-3.1% and the content of caffeine ranges from 0.02 to 0.5%. Dark chocolate contains 0.3-0.7% of theobromine and 0.02-0.03%... 

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