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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Total antioxidant capacity of spices, dried fruits, nuts, pulses, cereals and sweets consumed in Italy assessed by three different in vitro assays.

With the aim to expand the Italian total antioxidant capacity (TAC) database, the TAC values of 11 spices, 5 dried fruits, 7 sweets, 18 cereal products, 5 pulses, and 6 nuts were determined using three different assays and considering the contribution of bound antioxidant compounds in fiber-rich foods (i. e. cereals, legumes, and nuts). Among spices, saffron displayed the highest antioxidant capacity, whereas among dried fruits, prune exhibited the highest value. The TAC values of all the chocolates analyzed were far higher than the other sweet extracts measured. Among cereal products, whole meal buckwheat and wheat bran had the greatest TAC. Among pulses and nuts, broad bean, lentil and walnuts had the highest antioxidant capacity, whereas chickpeas, pine nuts and peanuts were less effective. The contribution of bound phytochemicals to the overall TAC was relevant in cereals as well as in nuts and pulses. The complete TAC database could be utilized to properly investigate the role of dietary antioxidants in disease prevention.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2003

Comparative study of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and gas chromatography for quantitative determination of cocoa butter and cocoa butter equivalent triacylglycerol composition.

The triacylglycerol (TAG) composition study of cocoa butter (CB) and cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) has been performed by gas chromatography (GC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). These two techniques provided comparable results. The advantage of the MALDI technique was the detection of each compound comprising the triacylglycerol classes (Cn). Moreover, comparison of the data obtained by these two techniques indicated that TAG relative percentages could be obtained quantitatively with the MALDI technique. These techniques have been applied for the composition determination of CB + CBE mixtures. Encouraging results showed that it is possible to quantify an admixture containing as little as 4% of CBE.

Africa↗
PubMed2004

Determination of free fatty acids in chocolate by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

This paper describes a rapid extraction method, based on a matrix solid-phase dispersion technique using diatomaceous earth as solid support and 50:50 (v/v) chloroform/methanol as extracting solvent, that can determine 11 free fatty acids in chocolate. The extraction procedure is followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) using a normal-bore (4.6 mm i.d.) C-18 column and an electrospray interface operating in the negative ion mode. The tandem mass spectra of selected compounds show that charge-remote fragmentation (CRF) mechanisms are occurring; the intensities of the CRF reactions increase with the carbon number and degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids. Average recoveries, evaluated by the standard addition method, vary between 79-103%, and the estimated quantification limits are less than 153 ng/g. The proposed method has been used to analyse nine chocolate samples from various price ranges, bought from supermarkets.

Cacao↗
PubMed2005

Yeast populations associated with Ghanaian cocoa fermentations analysed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE).

The yeast populations associated with the fermentation of Ghanaian cocoa were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Samples were collected at 12-24 h intervals from heap and tray fermentations, at three different fermentation sites and different periods during the season. Eukaryotic universal primers were used to amplify a fragment of the 26S rRNA gene. The DGGE profiles were relatively complex, underlining that the fermentation of cocoa is a complex microbial process. The identities of selected fragments in the denaturing gels were revealed by sequencing. Hanseniaspora guilliermondii, Candida krusei and Pichia membranifaciens were detected from most fermentations, indicating their possible important role in the fermentation of Ghanaian cocoa. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida zemplinina were almost exclusively detected during tray fermentations. The developed DGGE protocol was compared with traditional culture-based isolations. The results were comparable but slightly different, as one yeast species (C. zemplinina) was only detected using DGGE. On the other hand, Trichosporon asahii yielded only faint bands in the denaturing gels, despite the fact that it was detected using culture-based methods. Analysis of pure cultures showed that the targeted region of the 26S rRNA gene was poorly amplified in T. asahii, whereas all other investigated isolates were amplified efficiently using the chosen PCR approach. Cluster analysis revealed that the DGGE profiles clustered according to fermentation method and fermentation site. Furthermore, clustering according to progress in the fermentation was observed. The DGGE technique therefore seems to offer a relatively fast and reliable method for studying yeast population dynamics during cocoa fermentations.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

"Chocolate addiction": a preliminary study of its description and its relationship to problem eating.

Definitions of chocolate addiction and its potential relationship to dieting and problem eating were investigated in 50 individuals who identified themselves as "chocoholics". Respondents were interviewed and completed a battery of questionnaires on food cravings, eating, weight, dieting and depression. On average this sample consumed about 12 (60-g) bars of chocolate per week and craved chocolate about six times per week. Cravings and amount consumed were not significantly related but amount consumed was significantly correlated with disinhibition (r = 0.3). Most (76%) respondents had definitions of chocolate addiction that centred on a lack of control around chocolate and regarded the "addictive" factor in chocolate as orosensory (i.e. taste, smell, texture). Unlike most others, dieters and secret eaters experienced negative affect following consumption of chocolate. Consumers who preferred to eat in secret reported a higher degree of aberrant eating. The extent to which the behaviour of "chocolate addicts" resembles that of eating disordered individuals and other addictions remains to be clarified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Food cravings in young and elderly adults.

Fifty young-adult and 48 elderly Ss participated in a structured interview study on food cravings (defined as an intense desire or longing to eat a particular food). Elderly Ss were less likely than young Ss to report cravings and reported craving a smaller number of different foods. In contrast to a number of other researchers, we found a relationship between dietary restrictions and cravings. Types of food craved differed by gender and age. Women reported significantly more cravings for chocolate and for sweets than did men. However, craving for sweets declined with age among women. Cravings were not evenly distributed throughout the day, but tended to occur in the late afternoon and early evening.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Perception of sweetness intensity determines women's hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to chocolate food.

This study tested 63 women for hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to a chocolate food. Subjects tasted four chocolate puddings varying in sugar (high and low) and fat (high and low) content and rated them for pleasantness, caloric density, fillingness and flavor intensities. Results emphasised the importance of sweetness intensity in determining women's responses to the chocolate puddings. Women's perception of sweetness intensity was accurate to sugar content and results consistently indicated that their hedonic responses to the chocolate puddings were based on the perceived sweetness. Women's perception of the caloric density of the puddings was based on their perception of the fat content of the puddings; however, interpretation of that finding must be qualified because the subjects' perception of fat content was inaccurate. The women's perception of sweetness intensity accounted for 31% of the variability in fat perception. Women's perception of the intensity of chocolate flavor was also significantly associated with perceived sweetness of the puddings. These data suggest that the women's accurate perception of the sugar content of the chocolate puddings played a primary role in determining their hedonic and other perceptual responses.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Chocolate craving and hunger state: implications for the acquisition and expression of appetite and food choice.

The importance of hunger state for the acquisition and expression of chocolate craving was investigated. Seventeen chocolate cravers and 12 non-cravers were supplied with chocolate and instructed to eat some twice a day for 14 days. Within each group, subjects were allocated to one of two conditions, hungry- or full-trained. Hungry-trained subjects were asked to eat the chocolate exclusively at least 2 h after last eating; full-trained subjects were asked only to eat the chocolate 15-30 min after eating a meal. A diary was kept to encourage and allow assessment of compliance. At the start and end of the 2 weeks, subjects rated their craving for and anticipated intake of chocolate prior to eating it; then, on initial tasting, pleasantness of the taste was rated. All subjects made these ratings on one day when hungry and on another when full, as defined above. For cravers and non-cravers who ate chocolate exclusively when hungry, chocolate craving increased post-training, but, at least for cravers, only when ratings were made while hungry. For full-trained subjects, chocolate craving decreased post-training, but this decrease did not depend on whether subjects were currently hungry or full. A similar pattern of results was found for anticipated intake and pleasantness of taste, except that pleasantness did not increase in hungry-trained subjects. The results are interpreted with reference to learned control of appetite and in particular to recent findings on incentive learning processes. Craving for chocolate or other foods may be an expression of a strong appetite elicited by hunger that has been acquired by repeated experience of eating the craved food when hungry.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Food liking and craving: A cross-cultural approach.

Spanish and American participants rated how much they liked three common sweets and three common beverages listed on a questionnaire. They also named the food or drink for which they had the strongest craving. Cross-cultural comparisons in liking were almost always consistent with cross-cultural comparisons in rates of exposure. In both cultures, among subjects whose cravings could be so classified more females (about 5/8) craved sweet foods than savories and more males (about 5/8) craved savories than sweets. Among sweet cravers, chocolate craving was much more frequent for American females (44.6%) than for American males (17.4%), but no such gender difference occurred for the Spaniards (28.6 and 22.2%). The results argue for a possible physiological basis for the gender differences in sweet/savory craving but against a physiological basis for chocolate craving.

Adult↗