Chocolate
A Functional Food?
Julie Albrecht, Ph.D.
Professor and Extension Food Specialist
Marilynn Schnepf, Ph.D., Professor
Carol Schwarz, Extension Educator
‘Twill make old women young and fresh,
Create new motions of the flesh.
And cause them long for you know what,
If they but taste of chocolate.
- James Wadworth (1768-1844; A History of the Nature
and Quality of Chocolate)
Chocolate A Functional Food?
Program Goal: Participants will increase their
knowledge about functional foods using
chocolate as an example.
Program Objectives:
- Know what a functional food is
- Know what a health claim is for
functional foods
- Know the health benefits of chocolate
“The divine drink which builds up resistance
and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink
permits man to walk for a whole day without
food.”
- Hernando Cortés, 1519
Chocolate
• Comes from seed (bean) cacao trees
• Scientific name is Theobroma cacao
(Which means – “Drink of the Gods”)
Producers of Cocoa
• Grown 15 degrees north or south of the equator
• 70% grown in West Africa with Ivory Coast
and Ghana largest producers
• Brazil and Ecuador also large producers
• Takes 5 years for trees to produce
• Most produced by small farmers
Producers of Cocoa
• Pods Harvested
• Beans removed from shell,
fermented and dried in the sun
• Cleaned
• Roasted
• Ground
Processing of Chocolate
Nibs ground to cocoa paste
Paste Pressed
Grinding
Cocoa butter
Grinding
Cocoa powder
Conching and Tempering
Tempering
Mixed and ingredients added
(Milk Sugar Flavors Nuts, etc)
Molded, Made into products
Conching
Processing of Chocolate
Types of Chocolate
• Unsweetened Chocolate, Bitter Chocolate, Baking
Chocolate
• Dark chocolate
• Bittersweet, Semisweet Chocolate
• Milk Chocolate
• “Dutch” Chocolate
• White “Chocolate”
Consumption of Chocolate
Chocolate Consumption Kilos per person 2005
Belgium
10.74
Austria
8.33
Switzerland
10.14
Denmark
7.13
UK
9.94
Sweden
6.97
Norway
9.19
Finland
6.43
Germany
8.96
USA
5.58
Source: Adapted from CAOBISCO
Source: www.herseys.com
Lipid Composition of Cocoa Butter
3%
Stearic
Linoleic
35%
36% Oleic
26%
Palmitic
Source: Chocolate Manufacturers Association, www.chocolateusa.org
Chocolate
Labels
Chocolate
Labels
Health Benefits
th
before 20 Century
•
•
•
•
•
Comforted the liver
Aided in digestion
Made on happy and strong
Stimulated the kidney
Treatment of anemia, tuberculosis,
fever, gout, heart pain
• Strengthening the heart
Current Health Benefits
Functional Food- a food that
contains physiologically active
compounds that provide health
benefits beyond basic nutrition
Nutraceutical- physiologically
active components in food that
have health-promoting, diseasepreventive, or medical properties
Physiologically Active
Components in Chocolate
• Flavonoids (Flavanols)
• Stearic Acid (fatty acid)
• Methylxanthines
• Caffeine
• Theobromine
• Magnesium
Examples of Nutraceutical
Flavonoids/Flavanols
Flavonoid compounds - act as
antioxidants:
• Reduce free radicals produced by
oxidation
• Lower LDL cholesterol
• Reduce blood pressure
• Reduce platelet aggregation
Chocolate
Chocolate and cocoa flavanols appear to reduce
the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) via
several mechanisms, including:
● Reducing serum total and LDL cholesterol
● Lowering blood pressure
● Reducing platelet adhesion/aggregation
● Increasing antioxidant defenses
● Decreasing inflammation
Stearic Acid (fatty acid)
• Neutral effect on blood cholesterol
• Did not adversely affect
LDL- cholesterol levels
Magnesium
• Low Dietary Magnesium – Craving ?
• Low Dietary Magnesium – risk factor
for hypertension, stroke and cardiac
arrythmias – Controversial
Caffiene/Theobromine
• Chocolate Addiction/Craving????
Chocolate Myths
•
•
•
•
•
Allergies
Cavities
Cravings/mood
Migraines
Acne
Dose for Health Benefits
• Cardiovascular disease
– Cocoa, 5 g = 1 Tbsp to 50 g = ~10 Tbsp
– Dark chocolate = ~7 g to 40 g
• Weight modification
– Dark chocolate = 90 to 100 kcal/d
Food-Based
Health Benefits
• Dark chocolate
– 2 tasting squares (20 g)
– 90 kcal (45 kcal/square)
• Cocoa
– 5 g = 1 Tbsp = 10 kcal
– 50 g = 10 Tbsp = 100 kcal
Source:http://www.hersheys.com/home.asp
Functional Foods
Health Claim
Example of one FDA-approved health
claim:
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and
reduced risk of some cancers
Many epidemiologic studies
have shown that diets high
in vegetables, fruit, whole
grains, nuts, seeds and
certain vegetable fats and
low in calories, meat and
animal fat reduce the risk of
some common cancers.
Recommendations
• Variety of plant-based foods in the diet
can provide a wealth of potentially
beneficial phytochemicals (components)
• Wide variety of flavonoid-rich foods
such as fruits, vegetables, and
beverages should be an integral part
of a healthy diet.
• Energy density – consideration on
how much chocolate to include in diet
Questions?
EXTRA Slides
On Free Radical activity and antioxidants
Basis of Free Radical
Activity
Many diseases, including cancer, diabetes,
heart disease, aging, are the result of free
radical damage and oxidation
Many nutraceuticals are classified as
antioxidants, which are compounds that
can scavenge or neutralize free radicals
(Free radicals have lost electrons making
them very reactive)
Free Radicals
If the amount of free radicals exceed the
amount of antioxidants, the free radical will
react with and damage other molecules
If the “other molecules” are DNA, mutations
can occur- if unchecked can lead to
cancer
Basis of Antioxidant
Activity
Antioxidants act to control damage caused
by free radicals. A primary mechanism
used by antioxidants is hydrogen donation
R. + AH → RH + A.
Structure & Activity
What structural components have been
found to be important for activity?
First need hydrogen that can be donated
without damaging the parent molecule
Structure & Activity
A second factor that increases activity is the
side chain.
A side chain with a double bond has greater
activity because the double bond contributes to the stability of the compound
Flavonoids
Have antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, and
enzyme altering capabilities
Includes flavonols, flavanols, anthocyanins,
catechins, and isoflavones
Known as polyphenolic compounds
Flavonoids
• Reduce platelet aggregation
• Suppress pro-inflammatory
mediators, enhance anti-inflammatory
mediator (nitric oxide)
• Antioxidant effect – protective effect
against LDL oxidation, immune
function
• Cancer – limited studies
Catechins
(Specific Flavanoids)
Strong antioxidants associated with a decreased
risk of heart disease and cancer
(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate has very high free
radical scavenging activity and is capable of
interrupting signals needed for survival of
cancer cells
Food Sources of Catechins
Green tea, black tea, berries, and cocoa
Antioxidant Effects
• ORAC value – Oxygen radical
absorbance capacity
• ORAC is a measure of the antioxidant
power of a food
• Flavonoid-rich foods are not equal
ORAC Value for Select Foods
Dark Chocolate
Blueberries
Cocoa (natural)
Raspberries
Pecans
Cranberries
Cherries
Walnuts
Milk chocolate
Grapes
Almonds
ORAC units/serving
9080
8708
8260
6895
5382
5201
4705
4062
3200
1764
1336
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.html