Bitterness and astringency are found in a variety of foods, including nuts, fruits, chocolate, tea, wine, and soymilk. In fruits and beverages, the taste of bitterness and the tactile sensation of astringency are elicited primarily by flavanol polymers (proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins). Variations in proanthocyanidin composition, such as polymer size, extent of galloylation, and formatio...

Current evidence from experimental studies in animals and humans along with findings from prospective studies indicates beneficial effects of green and black tea as well as chocolate on cardiovascular health, and that tea and chocolate consumption may reduce the risk of stroke. The strongest evidence exists for beneficial effects of tea and cocoa on endothelial function, total and LDL cholester...

Ghana is an important cocoa producer and exporter this production of high economic importance. Increasing interest in the sustainable productions cocoa/chocolate necessitated need to assess environmental impacts associated with different chocolate variants (extra dark (EDC), (DC), milk (MC) flavoured (FMC) Ghana, including identification hotspots for improvement. The life cycle assessment tool ...

Epidemiologic investigations support the hypothesis that regular consumption of flavonoid-containing foods can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). While flavonoids are ubiquitous in plants, cocoa can be particularly rich in a sub-class of flavonoids known as flavanols. A number of human dietary intervention trials with flavanol-containing cocoa products have demonstrated improveme...

Despite of the fact that the use of sweeteners as sugar substitute in food products is effective in reduction of calories and related diseases, they are typically associated with change in the texture and sensory properties of the product. In the present study, the effect of partial and overall replacement of sucrose with agave nectar and stevia on chemical, physical, rheological, and sensory p...

Several population studies have found an inverse association between flavonoid intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. These studies have resulted in the hypothesis that dietary flavonoids protect against cardiovascular disease. Many in vitro studies, studies using animal models and human intervention trials have been carried out to investigate how flavonoids might provide protection. Emergi...

Composition in dark chocolate was varied and the effects determined on microstructure, using light microscopy, and mechanical properties of molten and tempered chocolates, using a TA.HD Plus Texture Analyser. Compositional parameters were particle size distribution (PSD) (D90 of 18, 25, 35 and 50 lm), fat (25%, 30% and 35%) and lecithin (0.3% and 0.5%) contents. Micrographs revealed wide variat...