Summary
A study presented at Experimental Biology 2005, an annual meeting of biological scientists, indicates that cocoa powder contains more antioxidants than any other chocolate products, and that processing of chocolate decreases antioxidant content. Researchers associated with the Agricultural Research Service conducted the study.
The study looked at chocolate's (Total Antioxidant Capacity) TAC and the amount of procyanidins it contained. Milk chocolates have the lowest TAC and procyanidin levels, and baking chocolates contain low levels of procyanidins. The alkalinizing process used to reduce the acidity of chocolates substantially lowers the quantity of procyanidins. Cocoa powder, being the least processed chocolate, contains the highest levels of TAC and procyanidins.
Original source:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050404.2.htm
Details
Those are the results of a study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their cooperators interested in the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and procyanidin levels of six chocolate and cocoa products: natural (unsweetened) cocoa powders, Dutch processed (alkalinized) cocoa powders, unsweetened baking chocolates, semi-sweet chocolate baking chips, dark chocolates, and milk chocolates.
The researchers found natural cocoa contains the highest capacity of the antioxidant procyanidin.
Ronald L. Prior, an ARS nutritionist at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock, Ark., presented the study's results in San Diego, Calif., today with Liwei Gu and Xianli Wu of ACNC and Jim Harnly, a chemist at the ARS Beltsville (Md.) Human Nutrition Research Center.
They presented the findings at Experimental Biology 2005, an annual meeting that brings together 16,000 biological and biomedical scientists from dozens of different disciplines.
The researchers found natural cocoa powders contained the highest levels of TAC and procyanidins, which were found to be the dominant antioxidant in chocolates.
Milk chocolates, which contain the least amount of cocoa solids, had the lowest TAC and procyanidin levels.
Baking chocolates contained fewer procyanidins, because they contained more fat (50-60 percent) than natural cocoa.
Alkalinization, used to reduce the acidity and raise the pH of cocoa, such as Dutch chocolates, was found to markedly reduce procyanidin content.
Researchers concluded that chocolates containing higher amounts of
cocoa ingredients have higher procyanidin contents, therefore, higher antioxidant capacities.
Nine major manufacturers provided commercially available chocolate and cocoa samples and the National Institute of Standards and Technology provided its Standard Reference
chocolate for analysis.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
