Cocoa particles determine health benefits

HERSHEY, Pa., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Antioxidants in chocolate and cocoa are highly associated with the amount of non-fat, cocoa-derived ingredients in the product, U.S. researchers say.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found products with the highest level of flavanol antioxidants were cocoa powders, followed by unsweetened baking chocolate, dark chocolate and semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup

Cocoa flavanols -- such as epicatechin and catechin -- have been associated with cardiovascular health benefits. The researchers found large differences in the amounts of catechin and attributed them to differences in manufacturing processes. They said epicatechin -- the major flavanol monomer present in the samples -- can be converted to catechin during roasting and alkali processing. A monomer is a small molecule that may become chemically bonded to other monomers to form a polymer.

"These studies reconfirm that the amount of flavanols, whether large or small, in products like dark chocolate, milk chocolate and cocoa powder are closely tied to the level of brown cocoa particles in the products." study leader David Stuart of The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition in Hershey, Pa., said in a statement.

The research team also included scientists from Brunswick Laboratories in Taunton, Mass., and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.