Previously we established that a cocoa-enriched diet in young rats reduces specific antibody production and the T helper (Th) lymphocyte proportion in lymphoid tissues. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the modulatory ability of a cocoa flavonoid-enriched diet on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), which is mediated by anti-collagen autoantibody response and Th lymphocyte activation. ...

Previous studies in young rats reported the impact of cocoa intake on healthy immune status and allow suggesting it may have a role in the prevention of some immune-mediated diseases. The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of a cocoa diet in a model of allergy in young rats. Three-week-old Brown Norway rats were immunized by i.p. injection of ovalbumin (OVA) with alum as adjuvant and...

Introduction The chocolate industry is part of a multibillion dollar industry where the constant growing demand has encouraged chocolate manufactures to seek the best ingredients to satisfy the most exquisite demands (Chocosuisse 2011). Nowadays the cocoa industry has grown quickly and many companies offer a wider variety of products, where the main ingredient is this famous seed called cocoa. ...

Smallholding in the cocoa sector has been seen as a hindrance to production and productivity growth due to the ageing of the cocoa farmers, limited access to credit, low level of education and low adoptability of innovations. In order to curb this, policy makers have resorted to implementing policy instruments that encourage the extension of small rural farms into larger farms, thereby undermin...

The inherent problems associated with inorganic fertilizer such as scarcity and high cost informed the invention of cocoa pod husk based organic fertilizer. The impact of the fertilizer on cocoa output is hereby investigated in this study. The study was conducted in Cross-River State, Nigeria and purposive random sampling technique was used to select fifty cocoa farmers including the user and n...

Cocoa contains flavonoids with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of cocoa intake on oxidative stress associated with a model of chronic inflammation such as adjuvant arthritis. Female Wistar rats were fed with a 5% or 10% cocoa-enriched diet or were given p.o. a quercetin suspension every other day for 10 days. Arthritis was induced by a heat-killed Mycob...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of oven and traditional roasting on the polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, lipid quality, proximate composition and mineral content of fermented cocoa beans. Results showed that traditional roasting significantly decrease (p < 0.05) the polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of cocoa beans. The analysis of oil showed that oven ...

Most researchers defend cocoa agroforests as a model, which guarantees sustainable cocoa production while protecting biodiversity. However, in most countries, farmers' strategies favour "full sun" cocoa farms, close to the concept of monoculture. Why this apparent paradox? Field surveys were conducted in 2005 and 2008 with 180 migrant and autochthon farmers in four districts of Ghana, including...

Effects of cocoa mass and supplemented dietary fiber (polydextrose) on microbial fermentation were studied by combining digestion simulations of stomach and small intestine with multi-staged colon simulations. During the four phases of digestion, concentrations of available soluble proteins and reducing sugars reflected in vivo absorption of nutrients in small intestine. In colon simulation ves...

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a commodity produced in the developing countries of the tropics. It is mainly consumed in the middle and high income countries of the world’s temperate zone. Currently, over 50 countries are engaged in cocoa production and heavily rely only on cocoa exportation for their economic development, as this commodity contributes significantly to foreign exchange earnings....