background one of the most important factors in inducing the logarithmic growth of streptococcus mutans, is a diet containing fermentable carbohydrates such as sucrose. objectives: the aim of the current research was to compare the ability of ordinary and probiotic chocolate to induce or inhibit the growth of s. mutans. materials and methods lactobacillus rhamnosus, l. plantarum and l. acidophi...

AIMS Poor prognosis in chronic heart failure (HF) is linked to endothelial dysfunction for which there is no specific treatment currently available. Previous studies have shown reproducible improvements in endothelial function with cocoa flavanols, but the clinical benefit of this effect in chronic HF has yet to be determined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the potential therape...

Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess the vascular benefits of dark chocolate in healthy and young individuals. Methods. A randomized and controlled trial was carried out involving 60 healthy volunteers, randomized into two groups: control group (CG; n = 30) and intervention group (IG; n = 30). The IG ingested a daily dosage of 10 g of dark chocolate (>75% cocoa) for a month. Blood ...

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies suggest that high flavonoid intake confers a benefit on cardiovascular outcome. Endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and wave reflections are important determinants of cardiovascular performance and are predictors of cardiovascular risk. METHODS The effect of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate (100 g) on endothelial function, aortic stiffness, wave reflections...

Oil migration from high oil content almond confections into adjacent chocolate causes changes in product quality. The objective of this study was to quantify the oil migration from almond butter and cream products to dark chocolate. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to monitor spatial and temporal changes of liquid lipid content. A multi-slice spin echo pulse sequence was used to acquir...

In this study, pralines manufactured by hand were evaluated sensorially. These pralines were obtained from dark chocolate containing 60% cocoa components, filled with Apis mellifera carnica Poll drone larvae, blossom honey and a blossom honey/pollen mixture from the protected region of Stara Planina-Eastern Serbia (a specific botanical region). The objectives of this study were investigations r...

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...

OBJECTIVES There is previous epidemiological evidence that intake of polyphenol-rich foods has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. We aimed to investigate the effect of increasing dietary polyphenol intake on microvascular function in hypertensive participants. METHODS All participants completed a 4-week run-in phase, consuming <2 portions of fruit and vegetables (F&V) d...