Jasmonic acid compounds in cocoa products
AssigneeThe Hershey Company
InventorsWilliam Jeffrey Hurst, David A. Stuart, Angela Isabel Calderon Justavino, Richard B. Van Breemen
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Abstract
The invention provides methods for isolating and enhancing the levels of jasmonates from cacao plant sources. In a preferred embodiment, jasmonic acid and 12-hydroxy jasmonate sulfate are detected in various cocoa products, and the levels of these compounds can be manipulated to increase the beneficial health effects of a food product made with the cocoa products The invention includes methods to prepare edible products containing cocoa jasmonates.
Claims4
A method of enhancing the level of jasmonic compounds present in a cocoa composition used to prepare a food product or ingredient, comprising adding unfermented cacao bean nibs to a sample consisting of cocoa bean nibs so that more than 10% of the cocoa bean nibs are unfermented cacao bean nibs, pressing the sample to remove cocoa butter, processing the pressed sample into a cocoa composition having non fat cocoa solids in an edible form, and monitoring the presence of jasmonic acid or 12-hydroxy jasmonate sulfate in the sample of cocoa bean nibs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.