Chocolate A Functional Food?

1. ChocolateA Functional Food? Julie Albrecht, Ph.D. Professor and Extension Food Specialist Marilynn Schnepf, Ph.D., Professor Carol Schwarz, Extension Educator

2. ‘Twill make old women young and fresh, Create new motions of the flesh. And cause them long for you know what, If they but taste of chocolate. - James Wadworth (1768-1844; A History of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate)

3. Chocolate - A Functional Food? Program Goal: Participants will increase their knowledge about functional foods using chocolate as an example. Program Objectives: - Know what a functional food is - Know what a health claim is for functional foods - Know the health benefits of chocolate

4. “The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits man to walk for a whole day without food.” - Hernando Cortés, 1519

5. Chocolate • Comes from seed (bean) cacao trees • Scientific name is Theobroma cacao • (Which means – “Drink of the Gods”)

6. Producers of Cocoa • Grown 15 degrees north or south of the equator • 70% grown in West Africa with Ivory Coast • and Ghana largest producers • Brazil and Ecuador also large producers • Takes 5 years for trees to produce • Most produced by small farmers

7. Producers of Cocoa • Pods Harvested • Beans removed from shell, • fermented and dried in the sun • Cleaned • Roasted • Ground

8. Processing of Chocolate Nibs ground to cocoa paste Paste Pressed Cocoa butter Cocoa powder Conching and Tempering Mixed and ingredients added (Milk Sugar Flavors Nuts, etc) Molded, Made into products Grinding Grinding Tempering Conching

9. Processing of Chocolate

10. Types of Chocolate • Unsweetened Chocolate, Bitter Chocolate, Baking Chocolate • Dark chocolate • Bittersweet, Semisweet Chocolate • Milk Chocolate • “Dutch” Chocolate • White “Chocolate”

12. Consumption of Chocolate

13. Source: www.herseys.com

14. Source: Chocolate Manufacturers Association, www.chocolateusa.org

15. Chocolate Labels

16. Chocolate Labels

17. Health Benefits before 20th Century • Comforted the liver • Aided in digestion • Made on happy and strong • Stimulated the kidney • Treatment of anemia, tuberculosis, • fever, gout, heart pain • Strengthening the heart

18. Current Health Benefits

19. Functional Food- a food that contains physiologically active compounds that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition Nutraceutical- physiologically active components in food that have health-promoting, disease-preventive, or medical properties

20. Physiologically Active Components in Chocolate • Flavonoids (Flavanols) • Stearic Acid (fatty acid) • Methylxanthines • Caffeine • Theobromine • Magnesium

21. Examples of Nutraceutical

22. Flavonoids/Flavanols • Flavonoidcompounds - act as antioxidants: • Reduce free radicals produced by oxidation • Lower LDL cholesterol • Reduce blood pressure • Reduce platelet aggregation

23. Chocolate Chocolate and cocoa flavanols appear to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) via several mechanisms, including: ● Reducing serum total and LDL cholesterol ● Lowering blood pressure ● Reducing platelet adhesion/aggregation ● Increasing antioxidant defenses ● Decreasing inflammation

24. Stearic Acid (fatty acid) • Neutral effect on blood cholesterol • Did not adversely affect • LDL- cholesterol levels

25. Magnesium • Low Dietary Magnesium – Craving ? • Low Dietary Magnesium – risk factor • for hypertension, stroke and cardiac • arrythmias – Controversial

26. Caffiene/Theobromine • Chocolate Addiction/Craving????

27. Chocolate Myths • Allergies • Cavities • Cravings/mood • Migraines • Acne

28. Dose for Health Benefits • Cardiovascular disease – Cocoa, 5 g = 1 Tbsp to 50 g = ~10 Tbsp – Dark chocolate = ~7 g to 40 g • Weight modification – Dark chocolate = 90 to 100 kcal/d

29. Food-Based Health Benefits • Dark chocolate – 2 tasting squares (20 g) – 90 kcal (45 kcal/square) • Cocoa – 5 g = 1 Tbsp = 10 kcal – 50 g = 10 Tbsp = 100 kcal Source:http://www.hersheys.com/home.asp

30. Functional Foods Health Claim Example of one FDA-approved health claim: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and reduced risk of some cancers

31. Many epidemiologic studies have shown that diets high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and certain vegetable fats and low in calories, meat and animal fat reduce the risk of some common cancers.

34. Recommendations • Variety of plant-based foods in the diet • can provide a wealth of potentially • beneficial phytochemicals (components) • Wide variety of flavonoid-rich foods • such as fruits, vegetables, and • beverages should be an integral part • of a healthy diet. • Energy density – consideration on • how much chocolate to include in diet

35. Questions?

36. EXTRA Slides On Free Radical activity and antioxidants

37. Basis of Free Radical Activity Many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, aging, are the result of free radical damage and oxidation Many nutraceuticals are classified as antioxidants, which are compounds that can scavenge or neutralize free radicals (Free radicals have lost electrons making them very reactive)

38. Free Radicals If the amount of free radicals exceed the amount of antioxidants, the free radical will react with and damage other molecules If the “other molecules” are DNA, mutations can occur- if unchecked can lead to cancer

39. Basis of Antioxidant Activity Antioxidants act to control damage caused by free radicals. A primary mechanism used by antioxidants is hydrogen donation R. + AH → RH + A.

40. Structure & Activity What structural components have been found to be important for activity? First need hydrogen that can be donated without damaging the parent molecule

41. Structure & Activity A second factor that increases activity is the side chain. A side chain with a double bond has greater activity because the double bond con-tributes to the stability of the compound

42. Flavonoids Have antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, and enzyme altering capabilities Includes flavonols, flavanols, anthocyanins, catechins, and isoflavones Known as polyphenolic compounds

43. Flavonoids • Reduce platelet aggregation • Suppress pro-inflammatory • mediators, enhance anti-inflammatory • mediator (nitric oxide) • Antioxidant effect – protective effect • against LDL oxidation, immune • function • Cancer – limited studies

44. Catechins (Specific Flavanoids) Strong antioxidants associated with a decreased risk of heart disease and cancer (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate has very high free radical scavenging activity and is capable of interrupting signals needed for survival of cancer cells

45. FoodSources of Catechins Green tea, black tea, berries, and cocoa

46. Antioxidant Effects • ORAC value – Oxygen radical • absorbance capacity • ORAC is a measure of the antioxidant • power of a food • Flavonoid-rich foods are not equal

47. ORAC Value for Select Foods ORAC units/serving Dark Chocolate 9080 Blueberries 8708 Cocoa (natural) 8260 Raspberries 6895 Pecans 5382 Cranberries 5201 Cherries 4705 Walnuts 4062 Milk chocolate 3200 Grapes 1764 Almonds 1336 http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.html