Understanding the Potential of Cocoa Flavanols as Functional Ingredients

Recent years have accelerated a rise in consumer concern in health and wellness, with increasing focus on preventative selfcare. Now more than ever, consumers are looking for products and ingredients that can help them remain healthy and active. They are also searching for products with an added function to help support their ability to do what they value. Consequently, consumers are seeking out science-based, health benefit-driven nutritional solutions that meet their needs. Functional ingredients have a potential to provide functional, health-related benefits in food.

Potential functional ingredients for foods, beverages and supplements are a group of compounds known as flavanols, of which cocoa is a rich source. Flavanols are a subclass of flavonoids and are found in tea, berry fruits, apples, cocoa and various other foods. Flavanols are known to have several functions, including antioxidants. Cocoa flavanols are mainly composed of (−)-epicatechin monomers, which are of growing interest for their potential health benefits, primarily for cardiovascular health. Recently, cocoa flavanols have been part of studies investigating dietary intervention for skin and brain health benefits, as well as active nutrition.

Growing research over the decades and a wealth of published studies have demonstrated the benefits of daily cocoa flavanol consumption. As a result, cocoa flavanols have recently become bioactive compounds of high interest that are used in functional foods and dietary supplements. Guaranteed standardizations of flavanol levels are important to ensure that efficacious amounts of active compounds are present in the final product formulations.

Join this webinar to learn about the current consumer health trends, including cocoa flavanols and their mechanisms for health. The speakers will also discuss how cocoa flavanols can benefit functional food and dietary supplement formulations for future product development.

Speakers

Tom Vierhile, VP Strategic Insights, North America, Innova Market Insights

Tom Vierhile is Vice President of Strategic Insights North America for Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights. He has more than 20 years of experience in packaged goods reporting and analysis. Based in Fairport, NY, he is a new product marketing expert and has been quoted by Bloomberg, Ad Age, The Wall Street Journal and NPR. Mr. Vierhile has given presentations on new product trends at conferences in the US, Europe, Asia and South America. A regular contributor to Prepared Foods magazine, Tom has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

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Erin Hopkins, Director of New Product Development, Bioriginal Food & Science Corp.

Erin Hopkins is a Director of New Product Development with Bioriginal Food and Science in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Erin has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (2014), and a PhD in Food Science (2019) from the University of Saskatchewan (USask). During this tenure, she had research published in more than 10 papers in peer reviewed scientific journals. Erin joined Bioriginal shortly after completing her doctorate as a Product Development Specialist and has recently moved into a Director role. Her role at Bioriginal focuses on bringing new products to market and advising on scientific matters for customers and the company.

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