Effects of Raw and Roasted Cocoa Bean Extracts Supplementation on Intestinal Enzyme Activity, Biochemical Parameters, and Antioxidant Status in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Dorota Żyżelewicz,Grażyna Budryn,Małgorzata Bojczuk,Jerzy Juśkiewicz,Joanna Oracz,Adam Jurgoński,Zenon Zduńczyk

doi:10.3390/nu12040889

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of diet containing the polyphenol-rich material on intestinal enzyme activity, oxidative stress markers, lipid metabolism and antioxidant status of laboratory rats. The animals were fed high-fat diet supplemented with freeze-dried water extracts of raw and roasted cocoa beans of Forastero variety. The observed changes indicated the biological activity of polyphenols and other components of the prepared cocoa beans extracts (CBEs). The presence of raw and roasted CBEs in the diets diversified the activity of the enzymes of the cecal microflora of rats. Both CBEs beneficially affect the antioxidant status of the serum, even in relation to the control standard group. The experimental cocoa bean preparations showed no significant effect on the mass of rats’ liver, heart, and kidneys, but varied some parameters of the antioxidant status of their organisms. The raw CBE in rats fed with the high-fat diet shows a high ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in heart and more effectively increases hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations compared to the roasted CBE, which did not show any significant effect. Moreover, supplementation with both CBEs significantly affects the volatile fatty acids concentration in the rats’ cecum. Results of this study contribute to the evidence that dietary supplementation with raw and roasted CBEs can exert health-promoting effects, however further studies are necessary.

Highlights

Plants constitute one of the most significant sources of phenolic compounds known mostly for their antioxidant properties [1]
The following study analyzed the influence of the extracts obtained from raw and roasted cocoa beans (T. cacao L.) of Forastero variety harvested in Peru, added to the diet of laboratory rats
The differences in feed and energy intake in control DCS group compared to the three high-fat groups did not significantly affect the body weight gain (BWG) of rats

Summary

Introduction

Plants constitute one of the most significant sources of phenolic compounds known mostly for their antioxidant properties [1] Cocoa beans and their co-products are rich in phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids [2,3]. Ancient civilizations recognized cocoa beans as a health-promoting raw material, cocoa-derived products have only recently gained recognition for use as a significant source of functional ingredients in foods, nutraceuticals, or cosmetics [4]. These beneficial properties, attributed mainly to the presence of a significant number of bioactive compounds, are a perennial topic of investigation [1,5,6]. Cocoa flavan-3-ols, mostly (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, are absorbed by the intestinal walls and brought to the bloodstream after being rapidly and extensively metabolized into numerous structurally related metabolites, presenting a great potential for action in the human organism [7,16] On the other hand cocoa beans mainly contains polymeric forms of flavan-3-ols that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, and the majority of those compounds reach the colon where are extensively metabolized by colon microflora into a wide range of low molecular weight phenolic acids [7,16]

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