As an ingredient, cocoa beans are found in numerous food and beverage products and support the most important demands from modern consumers: indulgence, health support and performance booster. Karin Elisa Nielsen, Division Director Nutrafiles, Canadean, investigates.
The seeds from the tropical tree Theobroma cacao L were initially traded by the Mayans (200BC until 1500AD) to the Aztecs, who used them in drinks and various dishes. Today, cocoa is consumed mainly as a confectionery or drink flavouring. When properly sweetened, cocoa’s flavour pleases most consumers. However, the sugar is a concern; recently it was announced that a naturally sweetened, tooth-friendly chocolate containing stevia would be launched in UK, early in 2012. Also, Barry Callebaut’s recent consumer survey revealed that one in three Europeans wants chocolates with health benefits and two in five want reduced sugar content.
On the other hand, perhaps consumers are getting used to the bitter taste, as they recognise dark chocolate to be healthier, and consumption is growing today, representing up to 40% of market share in the major markets. Ancient cocoa drinks were different – bitter strong drinks that probably were more like coffee and tea. These bitter notes come mostly from the various polyphenols present in cocoa.
Cocoa bioactives and clinical findings
Modern biotechnology has identified that processing, as well as crops, may influence the content of bioactives. More than 10% of flavanols by weight are found in the cocoa mass. Flavanols are also the main subject of interest for health and nutritional science relating to cocoa. The highest flavanol content is found in dark chocolate. Clinical studies confirm that dark chocolate, rather than milk or white chocolate, exerts healthy heart benefits.
Clinical data from chocolate studies has been various, but unfortunately very biased due to the fact that blind studies are difficult – the testers are too accustomed to chocolate and can effortlessly identify chocolate over a placebo.
Health benefits
The healthy heart benefits are partly attributed to the potent antioxidant capacity of cocoa flavanols as studies have shown that high consumption populations produce more nitric oxide than low consumption groups. The flavonoids, or more specifically the flavanol epicathecin, have been demonstrated to increase blood capillary widening (vasodilatation) and this is regulated specifically by nitric oxide.
Healthy heart benefits are further substantiated by studies on blood pressure in normal healthy subjects. By consumption of dark chocolate, systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced, and remained so by 5% for eight weeks after trials ended. In a meta-analysis the blood pressures were reduced 4.7mm (systolic) and 2.8mm (diastolic) compared with non-cocoa consuming controls.
Another health benefit related to heart health is the cholesterol and blood triglyceride-lowering effect of dark chocolate, which has recently been scrutinised in a meta-analysis of science from ten studies verifying that dark chocolate indeed, had a significant reduction of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. Good news is that the active dose seems to be lower than 500mg a day, and some supplementation studies favour approximately 300mg – allowing a beneficial effect on consuming 100g of quality dark chocolate a day – or using ingredients as Acticoa and Cocanox offering increased bioavailability and standardised high levels of flavanols.
Cocoa also contains anadamines, caffeine, theobromine and phenyletylamine, all compounds related to cognitive functions and exerting increasing energy and alertness. However, any potent effect may not be expected from normal consumption, whereas studies show that encapsulated or inhaled cocoa may give other results. Interestingly, caffeine has just been granted an EFSA health claim on alertness- could cocoa be next? It definitely has the reputation of being a mood food.
Additionally many essential nutrients are found in rich measures in cocoa, as essential minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Main sources:
INRA – Polyphenol-explorer
Shroeter et al. Proc Natl Acd Sci, 2006
Taubert et al. Arch Int Med, 2007
Tokede et al. Eur J J Nutr, 2011