Theobroma cacao L. is an ancestral cultivated plant which has been consumed by various populations throughout history. Cocoa beans are the basic material occurring in the most consumed product in the world, namely chocolate. Their composition includes polyphenols, methylxanthines, lipids and other compounds that may vary qualitatively and quantitatively according to criteria such as variety or culture area. Polyphenols and methylxanthines are known as being responsible for many health benefits, particularly by preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies emphasized their positive role in dietary metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and weight gain. After a brief presentation of cocoa bean, this review provides an overview of recent research activities highlighting promising strategies which modulated and prevented gastro-intestinal metabolism dysfunctions.

Guiana is a little-known and endemic variety of cocoa (Theobroma cacao), native to French Guiana. No data were available regarding its chemical composition and biological properties; therefore, a study was necessary, using Forastero as a reference. To exemplify biological activities of the cacao species, cocoa extracts were evaluated by antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP, ORAC) and anti-inflammatory assays. Our results showed that raw Guiana presented equivalent DPPH and FRAP activities, but a 1.3-fold higher antioxidant activity (1097 ± 111.8 μM ET/g DM) than Forastero (838.5 ± 67.8 μM ET/g DM) in ORAC assay. Furthermore, the impact of fermentation (under four conditions: unfermented, two days, four days and six days of fermentation) on Guiana cocoa beans composition and health properties was also studied. Indeed, fermentation, a key step necessary to obtain the taste and color of chocolate, is generally known to alter bean composition and modulate its health benefits. At six days, the fermentation process led to a nearly 25% lower antioxidative capacity in various assays. Moreover, in inflammation-induced macrophage assays, Guiana and Forastero unfermented extracts induced a 112% stimulation in TNF-α production, and a 56.8% inhibition of IL-6 production. Fermentation altered the cocoa composition by diminishing bioactive compounds, which could be responsible for these biological activities. Indeed, after six days of fermentation, compounds decreased from 614.1 ± 39.3 to 332.3 ± 29 mg/100 g DM for epicatechin, from 254.1 ± 14.8 to 129.5 ± 20.7 mg/100 g DM for procyanidin B2 and from 178.4 ± 23.5 to 81.7 ± 2.9 mg/100 g DM for procyanidin C1. The similar composition and the equivalent or higher antioxidant activity of Guiana leads us to propose it as an alternative to Forastero.

Cocoa and cupuassu are evergreen Amazonian trees belonging to the genus Theobroma, with morphologically distinct fruits, including pods and beans. These beans are generally used for agri-food and cosmetics and have high fat and carbohydrates contents. The beans also contain interesting bioactive compounds, among which are polyphenols and methylxanthines thought to be responsible for various health benefits such as protective abilities against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders and other metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Although these pods represent 50–80% of the whole fruit and provide a rich source of proteins, they are regularly eliminated during the cocoa and cupuassu transformation process. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of recent research on cocoa and cupuassu pods and beans, with emphasis on their chemical composition, bioavailability, and pharmacological properties. According to the literature, pods and beans from cocoa and cupuassu are promising ecological and healthy resources.

Tapirira guianensis (Anacardiaceae) is a natural resource from the Amazonian Forest and is locally known in French Guiana as “loussé” (creole), “tata pilili” (wayãpi), or “ara” (palikur). The tree is used by indigenous populations for medicinal purposes. To increase the potential of this tree for cosmetic, agro-food, or pharmaceutical uses, extracts were obtained through ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) from T. guianensis leaves using various extraction solvents such as water, methanol, and methanol–water (85/15; v/v). Chemical (DPPH, TEAC, ORAC) tests were applied to assess the anti-radical potential of these extracts. The polyphenol contents were determined by spectrophotometric (UV/Visible) and by means of chromatographic (UPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-MSn) methods. Tapirira guianensis leaf hydromethanolic extract produced the highest polyphenol content and exhibited antiradical activities in chemical assays (DPPH, TEAC, and ORAC) similar to (or higher than) those of a well-known antiradical plant, green tea. In T. guianensis, two classes of polyphenols were evidenced: (1) galloylquinic acids (identified for the first time in the studied species) and (2) flavonols and flavanols (present in small amounts). Flavonols seemed to play a major role in the antioxidant activity of DPPH. These findings provide a rationale for the use of T. guianensis in traditional medicine and to pave the way for seeking new biological properties involving this Amazonian tree.

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