Cocoa products are sources of flavan-3-ols, which have attracted interest regarding cardiovascular health. This review provides a survey of our research on the effects of cocoa polyphenols on leukotriene and nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and on myeloperoxidase-induced modification of LDL. Because intake of flavonoid-rich chocolate by human subjects was reported to decrease the plasma concentrati...

The fermentation of cocoa pulp is one of the few remaining large-scale spontaneous microbial processes in today's food industry. The microbiota involved in cocoa pulp fermentations is complex and variable, which leads to inconsistent production efficiency and cocoa quality. Despite intensive research in the field, a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the microbiota is still lacking, especia...

Previous studies have shown the down-regulating in vitro effect of cocoa flavonoids on lymphocyte and macrophage activation. In the present paper, we report the capacity of a long-term rich cocoa diet to modulate macrophage cytokine secretion and lymphocyte function in young rats. Weaned rats received natural cocoa (4% or 10% food intake), containing 32 mg flavonoids/g, for 3 weeks. Spleen immu...

The antioxidant capacities and the total phenolic content in cocoa liquor directly manufactured chocolate from an artisan manufacturer were measured using different in vitro methods (BR, TEAC, and Folin– Ciocalteu Reagent). These parameters were then compared with those of a chocolate made by a leading manufacturing company producing chocolate and cocoa-containing products. A statistical analys...

Cocoa is an abundant source of polyphenols, mainly flavan-3-ol monomers and polymers. In the literature, there are contradictory data on the absorption limit of procyanidins in humans. In our study, the Caco-2 cell model of intestinal epithelium was used to determine the absorption and secretion of cocoa flavan-3-ols. Three compounds: (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin and procyanidin B2 were detect...

MOTIVATION Phenotypic data collected in breeding programs and marker-trait association studies are often analyzed by means of linear mixed models. In these models, the covariance between the genetic background effects of all genotypes under study is modeled by means of pairwise coefficients of coancestry. Several marker-based coancestry estimation procedures allow to estimate this covariance ma...

In cocoa (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry systems, upper canopy trees and food crops are frequently planted for shade, diversification of farm products, and improved soil fertility. As diversification remains a top priority for farm economic and environmental sustainability, system management plays a substantial role in farm diversity, requiring long-term analysis. We measured species richness dy...

Health effects of cocoa flavonols depend on their bioavailability, which is strongly influenced by the food matrix and the degree of flavanol polymerization. The effect of milk on the bioavailability of cocoa flavanoids considering phase II metabolites of epicatechin has been the subject of considerable debate. This work studies the effect of milk at the colonic microbial metabolism level of th...

Dark chocolate and other cocoa products are popular in the population as a whole, but their overall health benefit remains controversial. Observations from the Kuna Indian population have shown an impressive cardiovascular health benefit from cocoa. For various reasons, this benefit has not been as robust as in other populations. Additionally, several mechanisms have been proposed that might co...

Little is known about the effects of common cooking processes on cocoa flavanols. Antioxidant activity, total polyphenols (TP), flavanol monomers, and procyanidin oligomers were determined in chocolate frosting, a hot cocoa drink, chocolate cookies, and chocolate cake made with natural cocoa powder. Recoveries of antioxidant activity, TP, flavanol monomers, and procyanidins ranged from 86% to o...