Elsevier

Journal of Functional Foods

Volume 12, January 2015, Pages 526-529
Journal of Functional Foods

Short communications
Polyphenol antioxidants in commercial chocolate bars: Is the label accurate?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2014.12.022Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • We examine 46 commercial chocolate bars for polyphenol content.

  • We use 2 different colorimetric antioxidant assays and a HPLC assay for 2 flavanols.

  • Polyphenol content is corrected for non-fat cocoa solids from label ingredients.

  • We find a linear correlation between the different assays and with % cocoa solids.

  • The % cocoa solids on the label accurately reflects polyphenol content.

Abstract

Polyphenols in cocoa have been shown to be responsible for beneficial health effects, especially in the cardiovascular area. Many people consume their chocolate in the form of bars, readily available in retail stores. The only information that may be useful to the consumer in choosing a healthier bar, with the exception of the nutrients, is the % cocoa solids on the label. We have examined the polyphenols in commercial bars by use of two antioxidant assays and corrected that value for non-fat cocoa solids, the source of the polyphenols in the chocolate. We also separated and analyzed by HPLC the two major monomeric polyphenol antioxidants, epicatechin and catechin. We found a significant and linear relationship between label % cocoa solids and the antioxidant assays as well as the sum of the monomers. Consumers can thus rationally choose chocolate bars based on % cocoa solids on the label.

Keywords

Polyphenols
Antioxidants
Chocolate
% cocoa solids
Epicatechin
Catechin

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