Cocoa polyphenols accelerate vitamin B12 degradation in heated chocolate milk |
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Authors: | Paul W. Johns Ananya Das Esther M. Kuil Wesley A. Jacobs Karen J. Schimpf Daniel J. Schmitz |
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Affiliation: | 1. Abbott Nutrition Division, Abbott Laboratories, Columbus, OH, USA;2. Barclays Investment Bank, Chicago, IL, USA;3. Abbott Nutrition Division, Abbott Laboratories, Zwolle, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | The rate of vitamin B12 loss was 3X greater in heated, chocolate‐flavoured milk than in unflavoured milk. Studies of B12 stability in the presence of cocoa powder components were performed to identify the reactive agents. Cocoa polyphenols with a strong capacity both for reduction and for peroxide generation accelerated B12 destruction as much as 20‐fold vs. polyphenols without both capacities. Polyphenols with both capacities include the cocoa polyphenol (+)‐catechin and oligomers thereof, but also the structurally related polyphenols gallic acid, caffeic acid and (?)‐epigallocatechin gallate. The demonstrated physical affinity of cocoa powder for B12 was a significant factor in the destructive process. B12 may exhibit decreased stability in heated, neutral pH, polyphenol‐fortified foods. |
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Keywords: | Cobalt cyanocobalamin cysteine polyphenol reactive oxygen species vitamin B12 |
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