RT Journal Article
T1 How Healthy Is It to Fortify Cocoa-Based Products with Cocoa Flavanols? A Comprehensive Review.
A1 Palma-Morales, Marta
A1 Melgar-Locatelli, Sonia
A1 Castilla-Ortega, María Estela
A1 Rodríguez-Pérez, Celia
K1 Compuestos bioactivos
K1 Cacao
K1 Flavonoides
K1 Alimentos funcionales
AB Background: Cocoa’s healthy benefits may be attributed to the potent antioxidantactivity of cocoa polyphenols, mainly flavanols, which have been characterised as existing in a highconcentration in cocoa. However, the phenolic composition of cocoa and cocoa-derived productsis highly variable, and manufacturing processes might significantly reduce their phenolic content.For that reason, the full characterisation of cocoa and cocoa-derived products before evaluating theirbioactivity is crucial. The aim of this review is to analyse the available evidence on the effect offlavanol-fortified cocoa-derived products on human health. (2) Methods: Forty-eight clinical trialsfocused on the health effect of consuming flavanol-fortified drinks, bars and chocolate have beenreviewed, with a total of 1523 subjects. (3) Results: Although studies differ widely in methodology,dosage, duration, and target population, beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa consumption havebeen observed at doses ranging from 45.3 mg/d to 1078 mg/d, especially on cardiovascular healthand cognitive function. (4) Conclusions: Considering the high consumption and acceptability of cocoaand cocoa-derived products, the fortification of cocoa products as well as other highly consumedfoods with cocoa flavanols could be an effective strategy for health promotion.
PB MDPI
YR 2023
FD 2023-07-03
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32510
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/32510
LA eng
NO Palma-Morales, M.; Melgar-Locatelli, S.; Castilla-Ortega, E.; Rodríguez-Pérez, C. How Healthy Is It to Fortify Cocoa-Based Products with Cocoa Flavanols? A Comprehensive Review. Antioxidants 2023, 12, 1376. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/antiox12071376
NO Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 20 ene 2026