Analyses of polyphenols in cacao liquor, cocoa, and chocolate by normal-phase and reversed-phase HPLC

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2000 Dec;64(12):2581-7. doi: 10.1271/bbb.64.2581.

Abstract

The antioxidant polyphenols in cacao liquor, a major ingredient of chocolate and cocoa, have been characterized as flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidin oligomers. In this study, various cacao products were analyzed by normal-phase HPLC, and the profiles and quantities of the polyphenols present, grouped by molecular size (monomers to approximately oligomers), were compared. Individual cacao polyphenols, flavan-3-ols (catechin and epicatechin), and dimeric (procyanidin B2), trimeric (procyanidin C1), and tetrameric (cinnamtannin A2) proanthocyanidins, and galactopyranosyl-ent-(-)-epicatechin (2alpha-->7, 4alpha-->8)-(-)-epicatechin (Gal-EC-EC), were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC and/or HPLC/MS. The profile of monomers (catechins) and proanthocyanidin in dark chocolate was similar to that of cacao liquor, while the ratio of flavan-3-ols to the total amount of monomeric and oligomeric polyphenols in the case of pure cocoa powder was higher than that in the case of cacao liquor or chocolate.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Anthocyanins / analysis
  • Biflavonoids*
  • Cacao / chemistry*
  • Catechin / analogs & derivatives
  • Catechin / analysis
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / standards
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Flavonoids*
  • Food Handling / methods
  • Galactose / analogs & derivatives
  • Galactose / analysis
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Phenols / analysis*
  • Polymers / analysis*
  • Proanthocyanidins*
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Anthocyanins
  • Biflavonoids
  • Flavonoids
  • Phenols
  • Polymers
  • Proanthocyanidins
  • cinnamtannin A2
  • galactopyranosylepicatechin (2-7,4-8)epicatechin
  • proanthocyanidin
  • procyanidin B2
  • procyanidin
  • Catechin
  • Galactose