Effect of storage temperature on the decay of catechins and procyanidins in dark chocolate

Abstract

The storage stability of catechins, procyanidins, and total flavonoids in dark chocolate was investigated. The obtained results showed that the degradation of flavonoids followed first-order reaction kinetics. Temperature-dependent degradation was modelled on the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy for the degradation of dark chocolate flavonoids during storage was 61.2 kJ/mol. During storage, flavonoids degraded more rapidly at 35°C (k = 7.8 × 10-3/day) than at 22°C (k = 5.4 × 10-3/day) and 4°C (k = 2.2 × 10-3/day).