Cocoa and Dark Chocolate Polyphenols: From Biology to Clinical Applications

Magrone, Thea; Russo, Matteo Antonio; Jirillo, Emilio

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2017.00677

Cited by 116 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 198 publications

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“…Cocoa polyphenols have beneficial health effects, with a daily dosage of 200 mg of cocoa flavanols to maintain normal endothelium‐vasodilation (EFSA, ). Magrone, Russo, and Jirillo () state that cocoa polyphenols positively influence the intestinal microbiota and help with the recovery of neurovascular units. Considering this, extrudates with 15% of cocoa husks are a very important source of cocoa flavanols.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cocoa husk application in the enrichment of extruded snack products

Jozinović

Balentić

Ačkar

et al. 2018

J Food Process Preserv

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The aim of this research was to enrich extruded snack with cocoa husks. It was added to corn grits in 5%, 10%, and 15% d. m., the moisture was set to 15%, and the prepared samples were extruded in a laboratory single screw extruder at 135/170/170°C, with 4 a mm‐round die and a screw with the compression ratio of 4:1. Physical properties, resistant starch (AOAC 2002.02), starch damage (AACC 76‐31), polyphenol content (Folin‐Ciocalteau), and antioxidant activity (DPPH) were determined. Although the addition of cocoa husk resulted in harder, darker snacks with increased retrogradation tendency, these properties were still in the acceptable range. Resistant starch, polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of the flips increased proportionally with the addition of cocoa husks, while starch damage slightly decreased, indicating that cocoa husk may be successfully employed as an agent for the fortification of nutrients. Practical applications The practical application of the research is dual. On one hand, chocolate industry has opened new way to exploit its by‐product (cocoa husk), which is much better than as use as feed (theobromine has to be removed for this purpose) or mulch (lack of husk is that is light and has to be used in large quantities, which may affect soil properties). On the other hand, snack industry has gain insight into how to improve nutritional properties of the products that are calorie dense and nutritionally very poor.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cocoa husk application in the enrichment of extruded snack products

Jozinović

Balentić

Ačkar

et al. 2018

J Food Process Preserv

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“…We distinguish dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate [19]. It is worth noting that the highest concentration of flavonoids and minerals is found in dark chocolate, particularly in 90% cocoa-containing chocolate [13,18,20]. That is why dark chocolate is preferred over milk and white chocolate [14].…”

Section: Chocolate Compositionmentioning

confidence: 97%

To Eat or Not to eat: A Review of the Relationship between Chocolate and Migraines

et al. 2020

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Migraine is a chronic disorder with episodic attacks, and patients with a migraine often report that certain factors can trigger their headache, with chocolate being the most popular type of food-based trigger. Many studies have suggested a link between chocolate and headaches; however, the underlying physiological mechanisms are unclear. As premonitory symptoms may herald migraine attacks, a question arises regarding whether eating chocolate before a headache is a consequence of a food craving or indeed a real trigger. Here, we aim to summarize the available evidence on the relationship between chocolate and migraines. All articles concerning this topic published up to January 2020 were retrieved by searching clinical databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. All types of studies have been included. Here, we identify 25 studies investigating the prevalence of chocolate as a trigger factor in migraineurs. Three provocative studies have also evaluated if chocolate can trigger migraine attacks, comparing it to a placebo. Among them, in 23 studies, chocolate was found to be a migraine trigger in a small percentage of participants (ranging from 1.3 to 33), while all provocative studies have failed to find significant differences between migraine attacks induced by eating chocolate and a placebo. Overall, based on our review of the current literature, there is insufficient evidence that chocolate is a migraine trigger; thus, doctors should not make implicit recommendations to migraine patients to avoid it.

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“…The medicinal properties of dark chocolate (DC) and its active ingredients (cocoa polyphenols, flavanols and catechins) are the subject of extensive research and discussion. The effects of DC on the cardio-vascular and nervous systems as well as on lipid profile have been reported by many researchers despite the questionable reproducibility of certain results [18]. However, the concentration of bioactive ingredients in commercial brands of DC is highly variable due to differences in manufacturing and this is rarely taken into consideration for clinical studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astaxanthin Co-Crystallized With Dark Chocolate Causes a Dose-dependent Inhibition of Oxidation Markers in Middle-aged Volunteers

Petyaev¹,

Orłowski²,

Klochkov³

et al. 2018

AJFN

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Oxidative stress and antioxidant deficiency are contributing factors in aging, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. The effect of highly bioavailable polyphenols of lycosome-formulated dark chocolate (DC) containing co-crystallized astaxanthin (LF-DC-ASTX) on parameters of biological oxidation was investigated in this work. 94 healthy middle-aged volunteers (48 male, 46 female, 45 -65 years old) were enrolled and randomized into four study groups. The 1 st group were instructed to ingest conventional control DC (7.5 g). The 2 nd group were asked to ingest capsules containing either 4 mg or 7 mg astaxanthin (ASTX), an algal antioxidant. The 3 rd group were given DC bars (7.5 g) and 4 mg ASTX capsules for co-ingestion as two separate formulations. The 4 th group were instructed to ingest LF-DC-ASTX containing different amounts of ASTX (1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg or 7 mg) cocrystallized with 7.5 g of DC matrix. Each product was ingested once daily after breakfast for a period of 1 month. Serum levels of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) were measured after completion of 2 and 4 weeks of the study. No significant changes were observed in the values for ox-LDL or MDA concentrations in serum irrespective of cocoa content (70%, 72% or 85%) or duration of control DC intake. In contrast, ingestion of different doses of ASTX, as a single formulation, translated into reduction of oxidation markers without any dosedependency. The inhibition of ox-LDL in volunteers following co-ingestion of DC and ASTX as two separate formulations was far greater than that seen for ASTX alone, revealing some additive effect of DC on lipid oxidation parameters. The inhibition of both oxidative markers was dose-dependent reflecting amount of ASTX in the DC matrix. These results may reflect greater bioavailability and improved pharmacokinetics for cocoa flavanols and ASTX following ingestion of LF-DC-ASTX. Therefore, nutraceutical formulations of DC fortified with ASTX can be successfully used for management of oxidative disorders associated with increased levels of ox-LDL.

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Cocoa and Dark Chocolate Polyphenols: From Biology to Clinical Applications

Cited by 116 publications

References 198 publications

Cocoa husk application in the enrichment of extruded snack products

Cocoa husk application in the enrichment of extruded snack products

To Eat or Not to eat: A Review of the Relationship between Chocolate and Migraines

Astaxanthin Co-Crystallized With Dark Chocolate Causes a Dose-dependent Inhibition of Oxidation Markers in Middle-aged Volunteers

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