Cocoa and cooking: preserve flavanols without overpromising

EFSA has authorised a claim that cocoa flavanols help maintain endothelium-dependent vasodilation, which contributes to normal blood flow, with 200 mg of cocoa flavanols per day in healthy adults. This refers to a measured amount of flavanols, not automatically two squares of any bar. Trials of flavanol-enriched products vary widely in dose, duration and population, so they do not translate directly to an ordinary chocolate bar.

Fermentation, roasting and alkalisation change flavanol content and profile. The cocoa percentage alone cannot reveal a product’s flavanol content. Natural cocoa powder and alkalised Dutch-process powder are therefore not equivalent. The percentage remains useful for comparing sugar and taste, but it is not a substitute for flavanol analysis.

In a food-preparation study, flavanol recovery was high in frosting, a hot cocoa drink and cookies, but much lower in chocolate cake. Baking soda was associated with a higher pH and greater losses. The result concerns specific recipes and powder, not every oven. It supports a practical rule rather than a guarantee: do not make every recipe strongly alkaline with baking soda if preserving cocoa compounds matters.

There is no universal conversion between grams of dark chocolate and 200 mg of flavanols. Content varies by cocoa and processing, while dark chocolate remains energy-dense and may provide sugar and saturated fat. A small portion you enjoy is more defensible than a large amount taken to reach a theoretical number. Choose non-alkalised cocoa powder when the recipe allows, and treat chocolate as food, not medicine.

1. 01Check whether the powder is alkalised when flavanol retention matters.
2. 02Do not swap baking powder for baking soda blindly: pH changes the recipe and may increase losses.
3. 03Keep the portion consistent with your overall diet. A higher cocoa percentage does not cancel energy density.