# US 7,968,140 B2 · Chocolates and chocolate liquor having an enhanced polyphenol content

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- Number: US 7,968,140 B2
- Document ID: US7968140B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/436,025
- Filed: 2003-05-12
- Published: 2003-11-20
- Granted: 2011-06-28
- Earliest claimed: 2001-11-05
- Assignees: Mars, Incorporated
- Inventors: Kirk S. Kealey; Rodney M. Snyder; Leo J. Romanczyk, Jr.; Hans M. Geyer; Mary E. Myers; Eric J. Whitacre; John F. Hammerstone, Jr.; Harold H. Schmitz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7968140B2

## CPC

- A23G 1/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds or extracts (containing gums A23G1/40)
- A21D 2/36: Vegetable material
- A21D 13/80: Pastry not otherwise provided for elsewhere, e.g. cakes, biscuits or cookies
- A23G 1/002: {Processes for preparing or treating cocoa beans or nibs}
- A23G 1/02: Preliminary treatment, e.g. fermentation of cocoa
- A23G 1/305: {Products for covering, coating, finishing or decorating}
- A23G 1/56: Liquid products; Solid products in the form of powders, flakes or granules for making liquid products, e.g. for making chocolate milk {, drinks and the products for their preparation, pastes for spreading or milk crumb (A23G1/305 takes precedence)}
- A23G 3/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts (containing gums A23G3/42)
- A23K 50/42: Dry feed
- A23K 50/48: Moist feed
- A23L 27/11: {obtained by solvent extraction}
- A23L 33/105: Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
- A23G 2200/14: containing fruits, nuts, e.g. almonds, seeds, plants, plant extracts or essential oils
- A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
- A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- A21D: TREATMENT OF FLOUR OR DOUGH FOR BAKING, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS (preservation of flour or dough before baking A23B40/00; preservation of bakery products A23B45/00)
- A23K: FODDER
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

Cocoa components having enhanced levels of cocoa polyphenols, processes for producing the cocoa components while conserving a significant amount of the cocoa polyphenols, compositions containing the cocoa components or the cocoa polyphenols, and methods of using the cocoa components or the cocoa polyphenols for improving the health of a mammal are described. The cocoa components include partially and fully defatted cocoa solids, cocoa nibs and fractions derived therefrom, cocoa polyphenol extracts, cocoa butter, chocolate liquors, and mixtures thereof. The invention provides processes for extracting fat from cocoa beans and for otherwise processing cocoa beans to yield a cocoa component having conserved concentrations of polyphenols relative to the starting materials.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chocolate liquor containing at least 20,000 micrograms of cocoa polyphenols per gram of the chocolate liquor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chocolate liquor of claim 1, containing at least 25,000 micrograms of cocoa polyphenols per gram of the chocolate liquor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The chocolate liquor of claim 1, containing at least 30,000 micrograms of cocoa polyphenols per gram of the chocolate liquor.