Robust chocolate: Study finds health benefits of cocoa are “resilient to processing”

02 Mar 2023 --- Commonly used means of processing cocoa beans, such as fermentation and roasting, do not reduce the health benefits of chocolate, according to a team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University, US. This reaffirms previous studies on cocoa health and eliminates worries that processing could revoke its superfood status.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, found that “treatment of mice with 80 mg/g dietary cocoa powder for eight weeks reduced the rate of body weight gain in both male and female mice (46–57%), regardless of fermentation and roasting protocol.”

Joshua Lambert, professor of food science and co-director of Penn State’s Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health, tells FoodIngredientsFirst what this study may mean for consumers seeking healthy indulgence.

“For the consumer, I think this means that it is possible to balance the flavor and aroma profile of a chocolate or cocoa product with its potential health effects. Having a tasty product is not mutually exclusive of having a product with health beneficial effects.”  

Professor Joshua Lambert, co-author of the study, believes the results will help the cocoa industry balance wellness and taste.“Greater freedoms” for cocoa processing
The study supports greater freedoms for cocoa producers. 

“The resilience of the anti-inflammatory effects to processing suggests that manufacturers have latitude to make products that balance taste and potential health beneficial effects,” notes Lambert.  

“One of our long-term goals is to develop health-related quality markers that can help guide processing decisions by cocoa processors and give them the ability to tune operations to get a cocoa that tastes good, smells good and has maximal health-related activity.” 

The science of cocoa health boosts
Cocoa’s health boosts appear to be driven by beneficial compounds present in the ingredient. These benefits offered are one of the main selling points of the ingredient, notably its effects on preventing heart disease and issues associated with obesity.

“The epidemiological studies show that consumption of chocolate is associated with reduced risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and heart attack,” continues Lambert.  

“There have been quite a few intervention studies that have shown that chocolate or cocoa consumption can reduce blood pressure and improve vascular function.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently stated that it would not object to a qualified health claim for chocolate reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease for conventional foods. 

However, the claim will only apply to cocoa flavanols in high-flavanol powder, a powder that contains at least 4% of naturally conserved cocoa flavanols, or food with high-flavanol cocoa powder.

“Based on our data and data from others, it seems like some of a class of compounds in cocoa known as proanthocyanidins can bind to the enzymes and block access of the fat or carbohydrate substrate to the active site of the enzyme,” says Lambert.  

“This reduces digestion and leads to those compounds passing through the gastrointestinal tract.”

Targeting obesityThe study suggests that cocoa processing methods, such as fermentation, don't diminish the health benefits presented by the ingredient.
Aside from the aforementioned health benefits, the study suggests that moderate consumption of cocoa could have beneficial effects against chronic inflammation.

Lambert supports the belief that cocoa could especially benefit overweight consumers, if used correctly. 

“In the context of improvements to overall diet and lifestyle, I think that cocoa might provide its biggest benefit by helping improve comorbidities of obesity (e.g., cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease) and reducing chronic inflammation, which is a driver of these comorbidities.” 

“I also think that a moderate amount of chocolate as a reward might be a good motivator to help people stick to a diet or lifestyle change plan,” he adds, noting that indulgence is not necessarily a bad thing.  

“If the promise of a square or two of chocolate helps get you out the door for a walk or helps you stick to eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, then that would be a positive.”

Finding the sweet spot 
Healthy indulgence continues as a primary driver of purchases of cocoa-based products, as consumer preferences for health and wellness are ever-prevalent. 

As chocolate consumption is buoyant, balancing the sweet spot for offerings that hit the three benchmarks of sustainability, taste and better-for-you characteristics remains a top challenge facing the industry. 

FoodIngredientsFirst previously spoke with key players in the industry about this trend in our special report on the topic which underscores how healthy indulgence is pushing the boundaries in chocolate innovation as consumer preferences for health and wellness reign supreme.

Industry continues to innovate healthy indulgent chocolate products.

Cargill recently released ExtraVeganZa, a range of plant-based “power ingredients” that have been designed for “outstanding sensory appeal” in vegan chocolate. 

“These solutions align with consumer demand for plant-based options and indulgent sensorial experiences,” Philippe Bernay, Cargill’s commercial marketing lead for cocoa and chocolate, Europe, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

In a similar move, Mars expanded its wellness in snacking portfolio with the acquisition of healthy snack brand Trü Frü.

This release was driven by Cargill’s research establishing a rise in consumer demand for indulgence, especially within the bakery sector. 

Consumers in general are trending toward allowing themselves a certain level of indulgence, despite economic headwinds.

By James Davies