Cocoa powder and dark chocolate has equivalent polyphenol content and greater antioxidant and flavanol content than various super fruits, claims a new study by research scientists based at the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition. 
 
 The authors, who published their findings in the Chemistry Central Journal said that their results indicate that cacao seeds provide nutritive value beyond that derived from their macronutrient composition and thus should be termed ‘super fruit’. 
 
 The fruit pulp of the Theobroma cacao pod that surrounds its seeds can be consumed; however the vast majority of people have only consumed the seed-derived portion of cacao in the form of cocoa powder or chocolate. 
 
 So the goal of the study, said the Hershey scientists, was to compare cocoa powder and chocolate, products representing the commonly eaten portion of the cacao fruit, with powders and juices from so-called “Super Fruits”. 
 
 Cocoa powder and chocolate were compared with powders derived from acai, blueberry, cranberry, and pomegranate, continued the authors, on measures of antioxidant activity, as measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC (μM TE/g)), total polyphenol content (TP (mg/g)), and total flavanol content (TF (mg/g)). 
 
 Method 
 
 To limit sampling error with each analysis method, each brand of fruit powder and product was prepared and analyzed in triplicate using chemical assays, said the team. 
 
 The materials selected, they explained, included commercially available fruit powders, natural (non-alkalized) cocoa, 100 per cent non blended fruit juices, natural cocoa beverage, solid dark chocolate (60-63 per cent cacao), and hot cocoa mix. 
 
 All powders were obtained via food ingredient suppliers, while the juices, solid dark chocolate, and hot cocoa mix were obtained at retail and analyzed in the form sold to consumers. 
 
 They said that a cocoa beverage was produced by combining 240 ml water, 25 g sugar, 1 g salt, and 12 g of natural cocoa powder and was designed to have a composition similar to that of the other fruit juices. 240 ml was considered a typical single serving of fruit juice or cocoa beverage, 40 g was considered a typical single serving of dark chocolate, and 28 g was considered a typical single serving of hot cocoa mix. 
 
 Results 
 
 The authors’ findings demonstrated that the antioxidant capacity of cocoa powder (634 ± 33 μMTE/g) was significantly greater than blueberry, cranberry, and pomegranate powder on a per gram basis. 
 
 They said that the total polyphenol content of cocoa powder (48.2 ± 2.1 mg/g) appeared to be greater than acai, blueberry, and cranberry powder; however these differences did not reach statistical significance, added the researchers. 
 
 And the Hershey team found that the total flavanol content (of cocoa powder (30.1 ± 2.8 mg/g) was significantly greater than all of the other fruit powders tested. 
 
 Analysis of fruit products demonstrated that the antioxidant capacity of dark chocolate (9911 ± 1079 μMTE/serving) was not significantly greater, on a per serving basis, than pomegranate juice but was greater than that of all other products tested. In contrast, hot cocoa mix had significantly less antioxidant capacity (1232 ± 159 μMTE/serving) than all of the other products tested, noted the team. 
 
 “The results of the current study demonstrate that cocoa powder has equivalent or significantly higher in vitro antioxidant activity, as measured by ORAC values, compared to the tested fruit powders. 
 
 Similarly, the TP content of cocoa powder was equivalent to that of the fruit powders and its TF content was significantly higher than that of all the fruit powders tested,” reported the Hershey scientists. 
 
 They also stress that the cocoa powders, cocoa beverages, and dark chocolate used in the study all contained natural (or non-alkalized) cocoa but that the hot cocoa mixes were made with alkalized cocoa. 
 
 The extent of polyphenol destruction, continue the researchers, is proportional to the degree of alkalization and change in the water extractable pH of the resulting powder antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content may be severely diminished in alkalized cocoa powder and products made with alkalized cocoa. 
 
 “Alkalinization is used to mellow the flavor of cocoa, however the process has been shown to destroy polyphenolic compounds and is likely responsible for the significant differences in ORAC, TP, and TC values observed between hot cocoa mix and the other cocoa products,” commented the team. 
 
 Source: Chemistry Central 
 
 Published online: doi:10.1186/1752-153X-5-5 
 
 Title: Cacao seeds are a “Super Fruit”: A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products 
 
 Authors: S. J. Crozier, A G. Preston, W. J Hurst, M J. Payne, J Mann, L. Hainly, D. L. Miller 

 Dark chocolate may be healthier than fruit juices for a healthy heart: study 
 
 CAROLYN KASTER/AP Dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, has great health benefits for the heart and blood pressure. 
 
 Take our Poll Too Sweet to Be True? Do you buy this research? Yes, I'll listen to anything that tells me to eat more chocolate. No, I just don't see how candy can be healthy. I don't know. Related News Best places to buy Halloween candy 
 
 
 
 Forget fruit juice - chocolate could be an even better way to boost your health, new research shows. 
 
 Dark chocolate and cocoa have more anti-oxidant capacity than fruit juice, according to a study released Sunday in the Chemistry Central Journal. 
 
 Chocolate products also have more heart-healthy flavanols and polyphenol, the study found. The good news doesn't apply to hot cocoa mix, which is processed. 
 
 "When looking for a sweet snack, a square of dark chocolate might, in fact, be your healthiest choice," said Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. 
 
 She wasn't surprised by the findings, noting the anti-oxidants keep arteries in tip-top shape and help prevent heart disease. 
 
 The study, conducted by the Hershey Co., compared cocoa powder and products with fruit-based powders and juices. Cocoa came out ahead on the anti-oxidant scale over blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate powder. 
 
 The differences between pomegranate juice and dark chocolate weren't significant, researchers found. 
 
 Still, dark chocolate trumped other juices in the anti-oxidant test. 
 
 "Cocao seeds should be considered a 'superfruit' and products derived from cocao seed extracts, such as natural cocoa powder and dark chocolate, as 'superfoods,'" the researchers said. 
 
 Dark chocolate long has been touted for its health benefits, including lowering blood pressure. 
 
 But chocolate milk fans, beware: The health perks don't necessarily extend to this childhood staple. 
 
 klucadamo@nydailynews.com
– Chocolate lovers, rejoice: Your beloved treat may actually be healthier than fruit juice. A comparison of cocoa products to fruit juice powders suggests dark chocolate has more antioxidant power than juices, as well as more of certain chemicals that are good for your heart, the New York Daily News reports. But take note: The study was conducted by Hershey. “Cacao seeds should be considered a 'superfruit' and products derived from cacao seed extracts, such as natural cocoa powder and dark chocolate, as 'superfoods,’” researchers said. In the study, cocoa products beat out blueberry and cranberry powder on the antioxidant scale; cocoa wasn’t, however, found to be significantly better than pomegranate juice. Click for details of the Hershey cocoa study.