Effects of Cocoa Butter and Cocoa Butter Equivalent in a Chocolate Confectionery on Human Blood Triglycerides, Glucose and Insulin

Abstract

Given the rising trend in the consumption of chocolate confectioneries, the shortage in cocoa butter (CB) production remains a constant threat to food manufacturers. Therefore, exploring alternative plant sources of CB is essential. Sal fat, obtained from seed kernels of trees, has the potential to substitute CB in chocolate confectioneries. The primary aims of this randomised controlled, crossover trial was to compare the glycaemic, insulinaemic and lipidaemic response of two different oil types (CB and Sal fat) in people and the effects of these oils in two physical forms (liquid and oleogel). Seventeen healthy male participants (age 24.73 ± 2.63, height 173.81 ± 7.24 cm, weight 65.85 ± 8.06 kg, BMI 21.73 ± 1.65 kg/m2) completed the study. There were no significant differences in blood glucose iAUC (p = 0.995), plasma insulin (p = 0.760) and triglyceride (TG) (p = 0.129), regardless of oil type consumed. When comparing incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of insulin and TG between the different forms (liquid or oleogel), oleogel was found to be significantly lower (p = 0.014 and p = 0.024 respectively). Different types of oil transformed into oleogels are effective in reducing postprandial insulinaemia and lipidaemia. Sal fat, although not metabolically different from CB, can be an acceptable substitute for CB in the production of chocolate confectioneries.

The Effect of Bioactive Aliment Compounds and Micronutrients on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…CB, also called theobroma oil, is a light-yellow vegetable fat that comes from the cocoa bean and is responsible for the melting properties of chocolate. As mentioned, cocoa butter (CB) consists mainly of palmitic fatty acids (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2), with low levels of lauric acid (C12: 0) and myristic acid (C14:0) for cocoa butter and a fatty acid profile of approximately 60% saturated fat, 35% monounsaturated fat, and 1% polyunsaturated fat [ 54 ]. Although saturated fat is generally thought to adversely raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, early studies also suggested that stearic acid may be hypo-cholesterolemic [ 55 ].…”

Plant Proteins for Future Foods: A Roadmap

“…Solid fats also contain saturated fats of which excessive consumption has been associated with elevated cardiovascular disease risk and could lead to other health complications [237]. In contrast, oleogels have been found to reduce postprandial insulinemia and lipidemia [238][239][240][241]. By structuring plant oils into oleogels, plant-based lipids could be made to behave similarly to animal fat, for example, in plant-based meats [242].…”

The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cocoa Butter (CB) and Cocoa Butter Alternatives (CBA) in Chocolate Manufacture

“…CB has a melting point ranging from 27°C -35°C. The character of CB depends on its fatty acid composition [9], [17], [27]. CB contains palmitic, stearate, and oleic fatty acids, giving it a cool and melting character in the mouth [9], [17].…”