Sugar and Cocoa: Sweet Synergy or Bitter Antagonisms: Formulating Cocoa and Chocolate Products for Health: A Narrative Review

Duane Mellor, Daniel Amund, Ekavi Georgousopoulou, Nenad Naumovski

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    16 Citations (Scopus)
    195 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    The potential health effects of cocoa flavanols are well described. Ranging from reducing risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease at population levels, moderating disease risk factors including endothelial function and lipid metabolism in clinical trials and mechanistic studies in laboratory studies highlighting target tissues and pathways. However, translating these benefits into public health messages is problematic, due to the high energy and sugar content of many cocoa products, including chocolate. This review considered the role of sugar in cocoa products, what are its physiological effects on bioavailability and bioactivity? Considering, then how cocoa products can be reformulated to reduce sugar intake, and the likely effects on beneficial effects of cocoa flavanols and consumer preferences. Ultimately, although interesting physiological effects are seen with cocoa flavanols, their use as a disease-modifying commodities may be limited the effect such products may have within an individual’s and populations overall dietary patterns.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)33-42
    JournalInternational Journal of Food Science and Technology
    Volume53
    Issue number1
    Early online date25 Oct 2017
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2018

    Keywords

    • Polyphenols
    • Cocoa
    • Sugar
    • Bioavailability
    • Reformulation
    • Prebiotics

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