How Much Caffeine Is in Dark Chocolate
Chocolate and health
What are the positive and negative consequences of enjoying
chocolate? - I would like to answer this question here as far as possible.
The ingredients and their impact are decisive for the
question. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of substances that are in the
smallest quantities in the chocolate.
 |
| Photo by samer daboul |
Most of these are not known and opinions also differ in the
assessment of the known and partially researched substances. Only the most
researched ingredients should be treated here:
·
Theobromine
and Caffeine
·
Anandamide
and Phenylethylamine
·
Salsolinol
·
Polyphenols,
tannins (extra side)
·
Fat
and sugar
·
Cholesterol
·
N-Phenylpropenoyl-L-aminoacidamides
(CocoHeal)
·
Heavy
metals and toluene
Theobromine and
Caffeine
The physiological effect of these two components is generally accepted, i.e. only that the effect of the pure substance could be demonstrated in the experiment. Exactly how these substances work in compounds as complex as chocolate is debatable. Caffeine and theobromine account for about 1 to 2 percent of cocoa. Caffeine and theobromine are alkaloids; complex organic compounds that occur in about 10 percent of all plants.
Theobromine
Theobromine stimulates the central nervous system, although
not as strong as other alkaloids do. The special feature of theobromine is that
it dilates the blood vessels and acts as a diuretic agent. According to a study
by Omar Usmani (London, 2004), theobromine can also have a soothing effect on
coughing fits.
Caffeine
Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system and
the blood vessel system. The effects include nervousness, anxiety, insomnia,
and worse discomfort, including heart attack. On the other hand, caffeine
reduces fatigue, increases mental performance, stimulates the production of
gastric juices, and has a diuretic effect.
With these effects, it should always be borne in mind that
pure caffeine was used for scientific tests. In reality, however, we are taking
up a mixture of a wide variety of substances that are so diverse that we cannot
comprehend the effects.
In addition, the exact amount of caffeine depends very much
on the processing of the product and its effects can vary greatly from person
to person. In addition, the amount of caffeine in a cup of chocolate is very
low. So, how much caffeine is in dark
chocolate?
The caffeine content of cocoa compared to coffee and tea:
·
1
cup filtered coffee 50 to 175 milligrams
·
1
cup tea 25 to 100 milligrams
· 1 cup cocoa no caffeine at all up to 25 milligrams
Anandamide and
Phenylethylamine
These two substances are also found in hashish and morphine,
for example, and act on the parts of the brain that are responsible for
feelings of happiness and pleasure. However, the quantities found in chocolate
are so small that there is no risk of addiction.
The minimum dose to achieve even an intoxicating effect in an adult is 20 kilograms of milk chocolate. Those who have managed to do so are likely to give it back before the first traces of anandamide and phenylethylamine have been digested.
Salsolinol
The effect of salsolinol is still unclear. It was found in
chocolate at Humboldt University Berlin when alcohol consumption was involved.
The fact is that every person has a natural salsolinol level, how it works,
what it is good for, and whether the need for salsolinol is met by food, is not
yet known and remains to be seen.
Salsolinol is counted in the group of endogenous neurotoxins.
It is now known that salsolinol inhibits various enzymes and enzyme complexes
and leads to oxidative stress. (Supplement of 8.2.2009).
Polyphenols (tannins)
The information about polyphenols and flavanols has become
too extensive and is now on its own page: Polyphenols
Special chocolate with a content of 2.2% natural cocoa flavanols
can be found in our online shop under Acticoa Intense.
Fat and sugar
Just over half of cocoa beans are made of fat. This is
obtained from the beans by a mechanical process developed by van Houten in the
last century. We call the fat cocoa butter, the rest of the mass cocoa powder.
Cocoa butter is used to produce high-quality chocolate,
cosmetics, and medicines. It is characterized by the long durability and the
ability to melt slightly below the human body temperature at temperatures.
Van Houten's method can reduce the fat content of cocoa
powder to between 22% and 11%. For example, cocoa powder for beverages is
significantly less fat than in chocolate, which is often added to additional
cocoa butter.
In addition to the high-fat content of chocolate, sugar also
has a very high proportion of many varieties. Fat and sugar make chocolate a
very good energy supplier. A bar of milk chocolate provides 550 kilocalories or
2311 kilojoules.
A good reason, then, is why chocolate should not be missing
on any expedition or in any army pack. On the other hand, this means that too
much chocolate can lead to obesity on a normal diet.
The sugar, for its part, attacks the teeth, encouraged by the
long length of the chocolate in the mouth. However, this effect is somewhat
reduced by chocolate with milk, as substances contained in the milk such as
calcium, casein, and phosphates have caries inhibiting effect.
Cholesterol
There are numerous studies on chocolate and cholesterol. Most
suggest that chocolate or cocoa butter produces the following effects:
1.
it
lowers the total cholesterol
2.
it
lowers the (bad) LDL cholesterol
3.
it
increases the (good) HDL cholesterol
4.
it
reduces platelet aggregation and thus reduces the risk of thrombosis.
As Morrissey (1986) found, the influence is more pronounced
with higher cocoa butter content. Thus, dark chocolate would be preferable.
N-Phenylpropenoyl-L-aminoacidamides
(CocoHeal)
Scientists at the University of Münster, Germany, have
isolated and characterized this substance from cocoa. It has a growth-promoting
effect on skin cells called keratinocytes.
In the future, it should be possible to use the
skin-regenerative and wound-healing properties therapeutically. Possible
applications are the prevention of sore skin areas in bedridden, the treatment
of sunburn, or the use of an anti-aging agent.
In addition, CocoHeal prevents the bacteria Heliobacter
pylori from attaching to the stomach tissue. These bacteria can lead to stomach
ulcers.
Source: Provendis
Heavy metals and
toluene
With the exception of cadmium, no higher concentrations of
heavy metals or toluene occur in cocoa. The lead content is between 0.06 mg/kg
and 0.1 mg/kg, the average copper content is 8.9 mg/kg and zinc is 20.7 mg/kg.
Toluene was found in 96% of all samples, averaging 0.04 mg/kg. The figures are based on a study carried out by the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety in which 286 chocolate samples were examined (2002 study).
Cadmium
Cadmium is suspected of being carcinogenic and damaging the
kidney and liver. However, there is only a danger if too much cadmium is
regularly ingested. Cadmium differs from other heavy metals in that the content
of dark chocolates is significantly higher than that of milk or cream
chocolates.
Cadmium is absorbed by the roots of the cocoa tree. Soil
plays an important role in this. Soils in the growing regions of Central
America are more polluted than the soils in West Africa.
The ICCO lists a cadmium content of 0.18 to 1.5 mg/kg for
cocoa beans from Venezuela and Ecuador. In comparison, for cocoa beans from
West Africa only 0.08 to 0.14 mg/kg.
A guideline or limit value for the cadmium content of
chocolate did not exist for a long time. A limit value proposed by BVL and
others should be 0.3 mg/kg. In the 2002 BVL study, 2.8% of all samples exceeded
this value.
Even in an eco test study in autumn 2005, some samples
exceeded 0.3 mg/kg, some even exceeding 0.4 mg/kg.
From January 2019 cadmium limits for chocolate.
The European Union has introduced cadmium limits for
chocolate on 1 January 2019. Since then, the following maximum values have been
applied:
·
0.1
mg cadmium / kg for milk chocolate with less than 30% cocoa content
·
0.3
mg cadmium / kg for chocolate with 30% to 50% cocoa content
·
0.8
mg cadmium / kg for chocolate with more than 50% cocoa content
·
0.6
mg cadmium / kg for cocoa powder
The cadmium limits remain controversial, especially because
in many regions, especially in Central and South America, the sale of cocoa
beans is now considerably more difficult, as it is precisely these soils that
are pre-polluted.
General Recommendations
on Cadmium Quantities
The WHO lists 1 microgram per kilogram of body weight as a
tolerable daily intake that is considered safe. After that, the daily consumption
of 100 g of the more heavily stressed chocolates would not be a problem.
The Otto Normal consumer, who eats far less than 100 g of
chocolate per day, is already far from the daily maximum dose. The University
of Vienna has calculated for Austria that the daily cadmium intake is on
average around 9.4 micrograms per day (source: expert opinion of the University
of Vienna).
The European Food Safety Authority has reduced the tolerable
daily intake of cadmium. Until now, the VALUE of the WHO was used in the EU for
1 microgram per kg of body weight per day. (Update March 2009).
Now the EU reduced tolerable daily intake to 2.5 micrograms/kg per week, i.e. 0.36 micrograms per kg of body weight per day. According to the EU, an average of 2.3 micrograms/kg are taken per week, but at-risk groups such as vegetarians, smokers, and children often reach levels above 5 micrograms/kg per week.
However, a general limit value for cadmium in
food has not yet been introduced.
