The antioxidant capacities and the total phenolic content in cocoa liquor directly manufactured chocolate from an artisan manufacturer were measured using different in vitro methods (BR, TEAC, and Folin– Ciocalteu Reagent). These parameters were then compared with those of a chocolate made by a leading manufacturing company producing chocolate and cocoa-containing products. A statistical analys...

This study investigates the influence of brand information on consumer preferences by conducting an experiment testing whether the preferences of Chinese consumers towards four chocolate brands change when they are informed about the brands from the case when they are blind about the brands. The results suggest that brand information does influence Chinese consumers’ preferences for chocolate. ...

Beside the well-established impact on decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (1), recent attention has been paid to the relationship between cocoa-containing foods and the immune system (2), showing that dark chocolate consumption enhances the systemic defense against bacterial (3) and viral (4) infections. Hence, the current study aimed at investigating the acute effect of dark chocola...

Nitric oxide plays a pivotal role in regulating vascular tone. Different studies show endothelial function is impaired during hyperglycemia. Dark chocolate increases flow-mediated dilation in healthy and hypertensive subjects with and without glucose intolerance; however, the effect of pretreatment with dark chocolate on endothelial function and other vascular responses to hyperglycemia has not...

Chocolate is ubiquitous in American culture and is associated with major commercial holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Christmas. People in the United States enjoy a significant amount of chocolate and each year Americans consume on average 9.5 pounds of chocolate per person (Confectionery News 2014). Yet, Americans are not alone in their love for chocolate and it is consumed in even...

A new fully integrated ultrasound based in-line fluid characterization system, FlowViz, has been developed especially for opaque, non-Newtonian industrial fluids. The new embedded and commercially available system is designed to meet industrial requirements. Flow-Viz enables true non-invasive, real-time Doppler measurements and is able to visualize the flow and to rheologically characterize ind...

BACKGROUND Chocolate consumption has long been associated with enjoyment and pleasure. Popular claims confer on chocolate the properties of being a stimulant, relaxant, euphoriant, aphrodisiac, tonic and antidepressant. The last claim stimulated this review. METHOD We review chocolate's properties and the principal hypotheses addressing its claimed mood altering propensities. We distinguish b...

Inadvertent exposure to peanut in foods poses health risks for peanut-allergic individuals that can be reduced by improving detection systems for allergen contaminants in food products and manufacturing processes. Detection of peanut in chocolate has been especially difficult. We report the optimization of conditions for measuring a major peanut allergen, Ara h 1, in chocolate with the use of a...

It is in the nature of the training and work of pathologists to be practical, observant and down-toearth. We appreciate that food is central to the experience of all societies, hence, in communicating many of our descriptions of pathological changes, we use terms related to food. For example, we use terms such as “bread-and -butter” pericarditis, “caseous” necrosis, “anchovy sauce” abscesses, “...