Cocoa Powder – A Great Antioxidant
Cocoa Powder, a great antioxidant
It is delicious, and it’s good for you. It is the cocoa.
And if you want to get more use, consume and cocoa powder contains more beneficial antioxidants than other chocolate products.
This according to a study by the Department of Agriculture U.S., which says that cocoa lost some of its properties when it is processed and so it is best consumed in its natural state.
Antioxidants are molecules that slow or prevent the oxidation of other molecules, and is thought to help in preventing cancer, heart disease and stroke, among other things.
The chocolate and cocoa powder are derived from cocoa beans contain large amounts of antioxidants called flavonoids. The researchers found natural cocoa contains the highest amount of the antioxidant procyanidin.
The researchers found that natural cocoa powders contained the highest levels of antioxidants and procyanidins, which were the dominant antioxidant in chocolates.
The milk chocolate, which contains the lowest amount of cocoa solids, had the lowest levels of antioxidants and procyanidin.
Baking chocolates contained fewer procyanidins, because they contained more fat (50-60 percent) than natural cocoa.
The alkalization process, used to reduce acidity and raise the pH of cocoa, such as chocolate Netherlands, significantly reduced the content of procyanidin.
Researchers concluded that chocolates containing higher amounts of cocoa ingredients have higher procyanidin levels and therefore higher antioxidant capacities.
Nine major manufacturers provided commercially available samples of chocolate and cocoa for research, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provided its Standard Reference chocolate for analysis.
Other foods high in antioxidants are brown rice, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, citrus and tomatoes, to name a few.
The study was partially funded by a grant from the American Institute of Cocoa Research.
Source: http://www.dietas.com/articulos/el-cacao-en-polvo-es-un-gran-antioxidante.asp
photo source: http://santabarbarachocolate.com/