Tolerance for high flavanol cocoa powder in semisweet chocolate

Meriel L. Harwood, Gregory R. Ziegler, John E. Hayes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Endogenous polyphenolic compounds in cacao impart both bitter and astringent characteristics to chocolate confections. While an increase in these compounds may be desirable from a health perspective, they are generally incongruent with consumer expectations. Traditionally, chocolate products undergo several processing steps (e.g., fermentation and roasting) that decrease polyphenol content, and thus bitterness. The objective of this study was to estimate group rejection thresholds for increased content of cocoa powder produced from under-fermented cocoa beans in a semisweet chocolate-type confection. The group rejection threshold was equivalent to 80.7% of the non-fat cocoa solids coming from the under-fermented cocoa powder. Contrary to expectations, there were no differences in rejection thresholds when participants were grouped based on their self-reported preference for milk or dark chocolate, indicating that these groups react similarly to an increase in high cocoa flavanol containing cocoa powder.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2258-2267
Number of pages10
JournalNutrients
Volume5
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 21 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Food Science
  • Nutrition and Dietetics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Tolerance for high flavanol cocoa powder in semisweet chocolate'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this