Cocoa Flavanols-HFVitals

Many people love chocolate for the taste experience. Dark chocolate is also often associated with health benefits, but the nutritional composition varies greatly from one product to another. In many chocolate products, the proportion of cocoa is relatively low and most of the product consists of sugar and fat, meaning the phytonutrients from cocoa form only a negligible part of the product and are overshadowed by the unhealthy ingredients.

The product Cocoa Flavanols-HF offers a way to obtain the valuable components from cocoa, without the drawbacks of sugar, saturated fat and unnecessary calories.

Cocoa: food of the gods
The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) originates from Central and South America and was already highly valued by the Maya and Aztecs. The name Theobroma literally means ‘food of the gods’.

Although cocoa is now mainly known as an ingredient in chocolate, the cocoa bean itself is a natural source of various bioactive plant compounds.

Flavanols: plant compounds from cocoa
Flavanols belong to the polyphenols: plant compounds that occur naturally in cocoa and are responsible for its characteristic bitter taste. The flavanol content of cocoa varies widely depending on origin and processing. During fermentation, roasting and further processing, a large proportion of these fragile plant compounds is lost. As a result, cocoa and chocolate products often provide variable and relatively low amounts of flavanols in practice. To obtain the same amount of these bioactive polyphenols as in one capsule of Cocoa Flavanols-HF would require an excessive amount of dark chocolate.

Good for the blood vessels
The health claim for cocoa flavanols approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is based on their role in maintaining normal vascular function. Flavanols from cocoa support processes in the vessel wall that are involved in regulating the balance between vasodilation and vasoconstriction.

In this context, the endothelium – the inner lining of the blood vessels – plays a central role. The endothelium is involved in the production and action of nitric oxide (NO), a signalling molecule produced by the body that contributes to relaxation of the blood vessels. Cocoa flavanols support these NO-related processes in the endothelium. Good NO function is important for maintaining supple, elastic blood vessels and normal blood flow. In addition, flavanols help limit oxidative stress in the vessel wall, which contributes to maintaining normal endothelial function.

Based on these well-substantiated mechanisms, the EFSA concluded that a daily intake of at least 200 mg cocoa flavanols contributes to the maintenance of the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood circulation.

CocoActiv™: high-quality cocoa bean extract
CocoActiv™ is a carefully produced cocoa bean extract. For its manufacture, cocoa beans are used that have not been fermented or roasted. This is a deliberate choice, because these common processing methods reduce the natural content of bioactive polyphenols in cocoa. Next, the fat fraction is largely removed and the flavanols are concentrated via a patented extraction process. This produces an extract rich in cocoa flavanols, while preserving their natural profile. The cocoa bean extract is standardised, meaning it contains a reproducible amount of flavanols per dose.

CocoActiv™ has been used in several scientific studies. The composition of Cocoa Flavanols-HF therefore aligns with the dosages and quality criteria applied by the EFSA when assessing the health claim for cocoa flavanols.

Permitted health claim:

• cocoa flavanols support the maintenance of the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood circulation.*

* The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of at least 200 mg flavanols from cocoa.

* Naturally contains up to 10 mg caffeine per capsule.

CocoActiv™ is a trademark of Givaudan.

Ingredients
Cocoa bean extract (Theobroma cacao, seeds), plant-based capsule (pullulan, from fermented starch), rice starch (Oryza sativa), anti-caking agent (magnesium salts of fatty acids).