FOOD PRODUCTS HAVING ENHANCED COCOA POLYPHENOL CONTENT AND PROCESSES FOR PRODUCING SAME

摘要

The invention provides food products, includingconfectioneries and chocolates, having conserved concentrations ofpolyphenols, and in particular cocoa polyphenols. The method ofthis invention avoids the significant and detrimental polyphenollosses that occur during conventional manufacture by controllingthe handling of ingredients in the batching process to provide aproduct containing a significant amount of the cocoa polyphenolspresent in the raw materials used to formulate the finishedproduct. Additionally, the milling/refining and conching steps mayalso be controlled and modified to provide confectioneries havingconserved concentrations of cocoa polyphenois relative to the cocoapolyphenol-concentration of the starting ingredients. The cocoapolyphenol containing ingredient may be a cocoa extract, chocolateliquor, partially defatted cocoa solids, and/or syntheticpolyphenol.