RT Journal Article
T1 Flavanol Bioavailability in Two Cocoa Products with Different Phenolic Content. A Comparative Study in Humans
A1 Gómez Juaristi, Miren
A1 Sarriá, Beatriz
A1 Martínez López, Sara
A1 Bravo Clemente, Laura
A1 Mateos Briz, María Raquel
AB Cocoa has beneficial health effects partly due to its high flavanol content. This study was aimed at assessing the absorption and metabolism of polyphenols in two soluble cocoa products: a conventional (CC) and a flavanol-rich product (CC-PP). A crossover, randomized, blind study was performed in 13 healthy men and women. On two different days, after an overnight fast, volunteers consumed one serving of CC (15 g) or CC-PP (25 g) in 200 mL of semi-skimmed milk containing 19.80 mg and 68.25 mg of flavanols, respectively. Blood and urine samples were taken, before and after CC and CC-PP consumption, and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QToF-MS). Up to 10 and 30 metabolites were identified in plasma and urine, respectively. Phase II derivatives of epicatechin were identified with kinetics compatible with small intestine absorption, although the most abundant groups of metabolites were phase II derivatives of phenyl-γ-valerolactone and phenylvaleric acid, formed at colonic level. 5-(4′-Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone-sulfate could be a sensitive biomarker of cocoa flavanol intake. CC and CC-PP flavanols showed a dose-dependent absorption with a recovery of 35%. In conclusion, cocoa flavanols are moderately bioavailable and extensively metabolized, mainly by the colonic microbiota.
PB MDPI
SN 2072-6643
YR 2019
FD 2019-06-26
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12612
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12612
LA eng
DS Docta Complutense
RD 11 abr 2025