Human bioavailability of flavanols and phenolic acids from cocoa-nut creams enriched with free or microencapsulated cocoa polyphenols.

Human bioavailability of cocoa flavanols and phenolic acids from a cocoa-nut cream (CC) and from CC enriched with a 1·5 % (w/w) cocoa polyphenol extract in free form (FPC) or encapsulated with a gastric-resistant high-amylose maize starch (EPC), was studied. In a randomised cross-over protocol, with 1-week wash-out in between, twelve healthy volunteers had three portions/d of each cream, providing approximately 190 μmol/d of total flavanols and 12 μmol/d of total phenolic acids with CC and 385 and 28 μmol/d with both FPC and EPC, respectively. Blood, urine and faecal samples were analysed by HPLC/MS/MS. Serum (epi)catechin was absent at baseline and after CC consumption, while 22·1 (sem 2·62) and 1·59 (sem 0·22) nmol (P <0·05) were found after FPC and EPC, respectively. The EPC increased faecal excretion of total flavanols compared to FPC (151·0 (sem 54·6) v. 28·0 (sem 14·0) nmol; P <0·05). Within 6 h after consumption, serum phenolic acid content was 50-fold higher than (epi)catechin; no difference between CC and FPC was observed, but a significant reduction after EPC (1954 (sem 236·3) and 1459 (sem 137·6) v. 726·8 (sem 73·4) nmol, P