ABSTRACT
Fresh cocoa beans consist essentially of two cotyledons or kernels enclosed in a shell or testa. Polyphenolic cells make up about 14 to 20 percent of the cocoa seed (dry basis) and consist of one single, large vacuole filled with polyphenols and alkaloids such as caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Pigment cells contain anthocyanins responsible for the white or pale pink to deep purple color. Flavan-3-ols and procyanidins are the most abundant polyphenolic compounds in cocoa beans and among flavan-3-ols, (−)-epicatechin is the predominant monomeric form. The phenolic content of cocoa beans decreases in the final product throughout the different manufacturing processes and in quality control applications, anthocyanin content has been considered as a good marker for fermentation of cocoa beans, along with the formation of a brown color. Despite the losses caused by cacao bean processing, they have high flavanol monomers and oligomer content and therefore can be considered significant contributors to the total dietary intake of flavonoids. Numerous studies have shown that cocoa flavanols can effectively reduce molecules involved in the inflammatory cascade
