Chocolate
Cocoa beans are very rich in polyphenols and therefore
have potent antioxidant properties. The main phenolic
phytochemicals in cocoa are epicatechin and catechin
together with the procyanidins. However, a large part of
the cocoa bean’s antioxidant capacity is lost during the
chocolate manufacturing process.85 The authors of a recent
study reported that daily consumption for 12 weeks of
chocolate specially processed to preserve its flavonols
almost doubled minimum erythema dose as compared to a
control group who consumed conventional dark chocolate
(70%).86