Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum: Botany, Composition and Pharmacological Activities of Pods and Seeds

Autor: Elodie Jean-Marie, Weiwen Jiang, Didier Bereau, Jean-Charles Robinson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Foods, Vol 11, Iss 24, p 3966 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2304-8158
DOI: 10.3390/foods11243966
Popis: Cocoa and cupuassu are evergreen Amazonian trees belonging to the genus Theobroma, with morphologically distinct fruits, including pods and beans. These beans are generally used for agri-food and cosmetics and have high fat and carbohydrates contents. The beans also contain interesting bioactive compounds, among which are polyphenols and methylxanthines thought to be responsible for various health benefits such as protective abilities against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders and other metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Although these pods represent 50–80% of the whole fruit and provide a rich source of proteins, they are regularly eliminated during the cocoa and cupuassu transformation process. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of recent research on cocoa and cupuassu pods and beans, with emphasis on their chemical composition, bioavailability, and pharmacological properties. According to the literature, pods and beans from cocoa and cupuassu are promising ecological and healthy resources.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals