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

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Chocolate

Comes from seed (bean) cacao trees

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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

Grinding Tempering

Paste Pressed Cocoa butter Cocoa powder

Grinding

Conching and Tempering Mixed and ingredients added (Milk Sugar Flavors Nuts, etc) Molded, Made into products

Conching

Processing of Chocolate

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Types of Chocolate Unsweetened Chocolate, Bitter Chocolate, Baking Chocolate

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Dark chocolate

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Bittersweet, Semisweet Chocolate

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Milk Chocolate

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“Dutch” Chocolate

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White “Chocolate”

Belgium

Consumption of Chocolate Chocolate Consumption Kilos per person 2005

10.74

Austria 8.33

Switzerland UK Norway Germany 10.14

9.94

9.19

8.96

Denmark Sweden Finland USA 7.13

6.97

6.43

5.58

Source: Adapted from CAOBISCO

Source: www.herseys.com

Lipid Composition of Cocoa Butter

Stearic 35% 3% Linoleic 36% Oleic 26% Palmitic Source: Chocolate Manufacturers Association, www.chocolateusa.org

Chocolate Labels

Chocolate Labels

• • • • • •

Health Benefits before 20 th 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, disease preventive, or medical properties

Physiologically Active Components in Chocolate

• • • •

Flavonoids (Flavanols) Stearic Acid (fatty acid)

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Methylxanthines Caffeine Theobromine Magnesium

Examples of Nutraceutical

Flavonoids/Flavanols Flavon oid 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

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Chocolate Addiction/Craving????

Chocolate Myths

• • • • •

Allergies Cavities Cravings/mood Migraines Acne

Dose for Health Benefits

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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

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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 con tributes 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

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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