Good news for chocolate lovers - Tastier, healthier chocolate coming soon

By: Agencies | | Published: March 25, 2015 11:13 am

It is widely believed that eating chocolates can make one fatter. But according to a study, consumption of chocolate leads to lower levels of total fat, independently of whether the person exercised or went on a diet. While many term it as an unhealthy food, chocolates really have many health benefits that you must know. Also Read - The myths of chocolate busted

Also Read - Here are some unusual ways to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease

The Good News Also Read - Know about these benefits of eating chocolate during pregnancy

Scientists are working to make the treats sweeter and nutritious.

Cocoa undergoes several steps before it takes shape as a candy bar, which involves roasting, the step which brings out the flavor. But some of the healthful polyphenols (antioxidants) are lost during the roasting process, so the researchers wanted to figure out a way to retain as much of the polyphenols and good flavors as possible. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, Ph.D., at the University of Ghana said that they decided to add a pod-storage step before the beans were even fermented to see whether that would have an effect on the polyphenol content.

Afoakwa’s team divided 300 pods into four groups that were either not stored at all or stored for three, seven or 10 days before processing. This technique is called “pulp preconditioning.” After each storage period passed, fermentation and drying were done as usual. He reports that the seven-day storage resulted in the highest antioxidant activity after roasting.

The researchers took samples from each of the storage groups and roasted them at the same temperature for different times. The current process is to roast the beans for 10-20 minutes at 248-266 degrees Fahrenheit, he explains. Afoakwa’s team adjusted this to 45 minutes at 242 degrees Fahrenheit and discovered that this slower roasting at a lower temperature increased the antioxidant activity compared to beans roasted with the conventional method.

In addition, the beans that were stored and then roasted for 45 minutes had more polyphenols and higher antioxidant activity than beans whose pods were not stored prior to fermentation, said Afoakwa. He explains that pulp preconditioning likely allowed the sweet pulp surrounding the beans inside the pod to alter the biochemical and physical constituents of the beans before the fermentation, which aided the fermentation processes and enhanced antioxidant capacity of the beans, as well as the flavor.

The research will be presented at the 249th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS)

Source: ANI

Image source: Getty Images

Published : March 25, 2015 11:13 am

Read Disclaimer

Why was Don Draper of Mad Men fame in rehab?

Gene injected to erectile tissue will help beat erectile dysfunction

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com

+91 – 22 – 6697 1234

91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

We respect your privacy

Why was Don Draper of Mad Men fame in rehab?

Gene injected to erectile tissue will help beat erectile dysfunction

Eat chocolate once a week to keep your heart healthy

Try these 5 DIY homemade dark chocolate face masks for glowing skin

Banana Mug Cake: A healthy dessert that pampers your sweet tooth too

Kriti Sanon makes coconut chocolate bytes at home: 4 health benefits of this drool worthy dessert

Kiara Advani loves to have her cake guilt-free: 5 healthy options to try if you don't want to put on extra kilos

About The health Site

Useful Links