IFT 2013 Review: Cocoa Research

Mars Inc. (McLean, VA) earned the 2013 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award at July’s IFT Food Expo in Chicago. The award recognizes advances in the application of food science and technology to food production, and Mars won this one for research on cocoa flavanols.

In its history, Mars has collaborated on more than 140 scientific papers on cocoa flavanols, targeting its benefits for cardiovascular function and cognitive function. The company now markets CocoaVia dietary supplements, which the company says provide the healthful benefits of chocolate (the flavanols) without the fats and sugars.

“Our integrated, multi-disciplinary research program will continue to focus on expanding our understanding of the health benefits of cocoa flavanols,” said Mars Botanical R&D director Dr. Catherine Kwik-Uribe, in an interview with Nutritional Outlook. “This research may not only lead to the development of novel dietary approaches to health and disease management, particularly as we age, but may even lead to the eventual development of dietary recommendations for cocoa flavanols.”

The company has several clinical trials underway, which are exploring the benefits of long-term cocoa flavanol consumption in healthy and unhealthy populations.