Cocoa powder is rich in polyphenols, such as catechins and procyanidins, and has been shown in a variety of subject models to inhibit oxidized LDL and atherogenesis. Our study evaluated plasma LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL concentrations following the intake of different levels of cocoa powder (13, 19.5, and 26 g/d) in normocholesterolemic and mildly hypercholesterolemic humans. In this comp...

After devising expectational measures of production, price and exchange rate uncertainty, this paper presents a model to derive an optimal hedging strategy for a primary producer who is subject to variability on the price and the amount of its output and on the exchange rate risk when the final proceeds of its sales are not denominated in its currency of numeraire. In this model, it is assumed ...

Cocoa beans are the basic raw material for the production of chocolate and other chocolate products. To obtain these products, the seeds must be subjected to a complicated technological process in which one of the key steps is roasting. A widely used method of roasting cocoa beans is convection roasting which is based on subjecting the raw beans to a flow of hot air in the temperature range bet...

The effects of particle size, fermentation, roasting time and roasting temperature of cocoa nibs on cocoa butter extraction using supercritical fluid technology were studied. The effect of particle size was studied using cocoa liquor (D = 0.074 mm), ground cocoa nib (D = 0.25–0.50 mm and 1.0–1.2 mm) and whole cocoa nibs at 35 MPa, 60 C and flow rate of 2 ml/min using supercritical carbon dioxid...

The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) has been designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Due to the limited radio channel capacities and hardware resources of such devices, congestion can be a serious problem. CoAP addresses this important issue with a basic congestion control mechanism. CoCoA, an Internet-Draft proposal, introduced alter...

Cocoa is a rich source of flavonoids, mainly (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and procyanidins. This article reports the effect of continuous cocoa intake on antioxidant capacity in plasma and tissues, including lymphoid organs and liver, from young rats. Weaned Wistar rats received natural cocoa (4% or 10% food intake) for three weeks, corresponding to their infancy. Flavonoid absorption was con...

OBJECTIVE We previously found that ingested cocoa decreased visceral adipose tissue weight in rat. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of that effect, we carried out experiments aimed at analyzing biochemical parameters and gene expression profiles. METHODS Rats were fed either of two high-fat diets, differing only in supplementation with real or mimetic cocoa. On day 21, body weights, mese...