TY - JOUR
T1 - Cacao seeds are a "Super Fruit"
T2 - A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products
AU - Crozier, Stephen J.
AU - Preston, Amy G.
AU - Hurst, Jeffrey W.
AU - Payne, Mark J.
AU - Mann, Julie
AU - Hainly, Larry
AU - Miller, Debra L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to Austin Snyder and Allison Dilzer for technical assistance and Dr. David Stuart for suggestions and critical reading of the manuscript. This work was funded by The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA).
PY - 2011/2/7
Y1 - 2011/2/7
N2 - Background: Numerous popular media sources have developed lists of "Super Foods" and, more recently, "Super Fruits". Such distinctions often are based on the antioxidant capacity and content of naturally occurring compounds such as polyphenols within those whole fruits or juices of the fruit which may be linked to potential health benefits. Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from an extract of the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. In this study, we compared cocoa powder and cocoa products to powders and juices derived from fruits commonly considered "Super Fruits".Results: Various fruit powders and retail fruit products were obtained and analyzed for antioxidant capacity (ORAC (μM TE/g)), total polyphenol content (TP (mg/g)), and total flavanol content (TF (mg/g)). Among the various powders that were tested, cocoa powder was the most concentrated source of ORAC and TF. Similarly, dark chocolate was a significantly more concentrated source of ORAC and TF than the fruit juices.Conclusions: Cocoa powder and dark chocolate had equivalent or significantly greater ORAC, TP, and TF values compared to the other fruit powders and juices tested, respectively. Cacao seeds thus provide nutritive value beyond that derived from their macronutrient composition and appear to meet the popular media's definition of a "Super Fruit".
AB - Background: Numerous popular media sources have developed lists of "Super Foods" and, more recently, "Super Fruits". Such distinctions often are based on the antioxidant capacity and content of naturally occurring compounds such as polyphenols within those whole fruits or juices of the fruit which may be linked to potential health benefits. Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from an extract of the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. In this study, we compared cocoa powder and cocoa products to powders and juices derived from fruits commonly considered "Super Fruits".Results: Various fruit powders and retail fruit products were obtained and analyzed for antioxidant capacity (ORAC (μM TE/g)), total polyphenol content (TP (mg/g)), and total flavanol content (TF (mg/g)). Among the various powders that were tested, cocoa powder was the most concentrated source of ORAC and TF. Similarly, dark chocolate was a significantly more concentrated source of ORAC and TF than the fruit juices.Conclusions: Cocoa powder and dark chocolate had equivalent or significantly greater ORAC, TP, and TF values compared to the other fruit powders and juices tested, respectively. Cacao seeds thus provide nutritive value beyond that derived from their macronutrient composition and appear to meet the popular media's definition of a "Super Fruit".
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U2 - 10.1186/1752-153X-5-5
DO - 10.1186/1752-153X-5-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 21299842
AN - SCOPUS:79551619009
SN - 1752-153X
VL - 5
JO - Chemistry Central Journal
JF - Chemistry Central Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 5
ER -