COCOA FRUIT

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is known worldwide for its beans used in the manufacture of chocolate. Its importance has grown as a significant source of polyphenols. Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds that occur widely in fruit, vegetables, tea, red wine, and chocolate. Cocoa and chocolate products have the highest concentration of flavonoids among commonly consumed food items. Over 10% of the weight of cocoa powder consists of flavonoids, catechin and epicatechin. The consumption of flavanol rich cocoa has been reported to have beneficial health effects, particularly to reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases. (Borchers et al. 2000)... iTi tropicals and Quicornac SA are funding a research project <em>"Total Phenolics and Antioxidant Capacity of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Pulp: Investigation, Processing and Storage Study"