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Chocolate Folklore
Published in Linda K. Fuller, Chocolate Fads, Folklore, & Fantasies, 2020
Edward Bancroft recorded several medical uses for chocolate in his book Native Races of the Pacific States. Sometimes, he noted, they were related to religious ritual. At other times, the cure was more direct: “Cacao, after the oil had been extracted, was considered to be a sure preventive against poison.” (Kolpas, 1978, p. 108).
Raw veganism
Published in Carlo Alvaro, Raw Veganism, 2020
Another food that is marketed as raw is cacao. Cacao beans are fermented and roasted to achieve the characteristic flavor. Once again, in my view cooked nuts, seeds, and cocoa are not conducive to good health. I concede that they can be healthful in their raw state and in limited amounts, except for cocoa because it contains the stimulant alkaloid theobromine. The point here, however, is that the nuts and seeds that many raw vegans consume are not raw. The second group of raw foods is dehydrated products. These foods are prepared by exposing them to dry heat; this is typically achieved by processing fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, and more, in dehydrator devices. Many argue that heated food can still be considered raw, and the nutrients are not compromised, so long as the temperature never goes above 115°F . There is no legal regulation, or agreement among raw vegans, about the maximum permissible temperature for a food to be considered raw. Some say the maximum is 115°, but others say that 118° or even 120°F will not destroy micronutrients. However, vitamins like vitamin A, C, and thiamin are very sensitive to air and heat and can be significantly damaged or destroyed.
Sympathomimetics
Published in Frank A. Barile, Barile’s Clinical Toxicology, 2019
Figure 15.4 illustrates the structures of the xanthine derivatives, caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine. The compounds contain the purine nucleus and are naturally occurring xanthine derivatives. Caffeine is the most active component of coffee and the coffee beans (seeds) of Coffea arabica, a small evergreen shrub abundant in the tropical areas of South America, Central America, and the Middle East. It is also found in Cola accuminata and Cola nitida, tropical nuts of South America and Africa. Both caffeine and theophylline are distributed throughout the tea leaves of Thea sinensis, a shrub native to Japan, China, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. The seeds of Theobroma cacao, the 12 meter cocoa plant, are indigenous to the South American, Asian, and African tropics. Table 15.3 organizes the xanthine derivatives with their major botanical sources and pharmacological actions. Structure of purine and xanthine derivatives.
Amoxicillin chewable tablets intended for pediatric use: formulation development, stability evaluation and taste assessment
Published in Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2021
Maria S. Synaridou, Paraskevi Kyriaki Monou, Constantinos K. Zacharis, Dimitrios G. Fatouros, Irene Panderi, Catherine K. Markopoulou
Amoxicillin is a penicillin (beta-lactam) antibiotic that is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a first or second line of treatment drug for common infections. Therefore, it is included in the List of Essential Medicines which are used to treat certain diseases caused by Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria, such as pneumonia, bronchitis or infections of the ears, nose, throat, urinary tract, and skin (WHO 2019). Amoxicillin’s distinct odor and bitter, metallic taste makes it extremely challenging to produce palatable formulations for child healthcare. Therefore, its unpleasant aftertaste has been covered up by using excipients based on chocolate and baby food (i.e. maize starch). Cocoa powder and chocolate are made from the dried seeds that are found in the fruits of the cacao tree. Chocolate is recommended for the children since it plays a vital role in stimulating the brain’s hippocampus by the presence of flavonoids and vitamins (Bhattacharjee and Akoroda 2018). These elements, when stimulated, result in developing good concentration and effective memory. Additionally, the antioxidants present in chocolate play a key role blocking the formation of any free radicals within the child’s body and preventing them from damaging the body internally.
The Effect of a Single Dose of Dark Chocolate on Cardiovascular Parameters and Their Reactivity to Mental Stress
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020
Valeria Regecova, Jana Jurkovicova, Jana Babjakova, Iveta Bernatova
There are also studies (12,19–21) that examined the effects of a single dose of dark chocolate (or cacao products) on cardiovascular functions in healthy subjects. Acute studies are relevant because it has been shown that the plasma concentration of the main cacao-derived flavonoid (−)-epicatechin is the highest 2 hours post-ingestion (20). In the study of Dower at al. (21), 70 g of dark chocolate (per person) significantly improved flow-mediated dilation total antioxidant status and reduced platelet function in healthy smokers 2 hours after consumption. Similar results were obtained with 40 g of dark chocolate containing 74% cocoa content (22). There is growing evidence on its benefits related to brain health and improvement of stress states (23,24). In addition, chocolate induces positive effects on mood and is often consumed under emotional stress (25).
Impact of storage on the physico-chemical properties of microparticles comprising a hydrogenated vegetable oil matrix and different essential oil concentrations
Published in Journal of Microencapsulation, 2019
Pia Gottschalk, Benjamin Brodesser, Denis Poncelet, Henry Jaeger, Harald Rennhofer, Stephen Cole
The constant X-ray scattering powder diffraction signal of microparticles with essential oil and the assimilating signal of microparticles without essential oil fit well with the differential scanning calorimetric results. Quick solidification of pure hydrogenated vegetable oil results in the triglycerides adopting the less stable polymorphic α-form. The velocity of the transformation to the stable β-form is temperature dependent. In the presence of essential oil, the triglycerides take on the β-form directly after solidification. This result is in accordance with a study performed by Miyasaki et al. (2016) who found out that the polymorphic transformation in cacao butter and cacao butter equivalent was accelerated when stored at 25 °C in the presence of d-limonene in concentrations of 15–50 g/kg. Rigolle et al. (2016) came to the same conclusion when cacao butter with and without limonene was stored at 17 °C and 20 °C.