| dc.description.abstract | Pregermination treatment of cocoa beans either
with the testa, group PCB (+T), or without the testa, group
PCB (-T), was studied here to determine whether this
treatment (incubation up to 120 h at 25°C) has any effect on
the levels of allergenic proteins or on chemical composition.
Our proximate analysis included carbohydrates, proteins,
and lipids. We used western blotting to measure changes in
the amounts of allergenic proteins in the cocoa beans during
the pregermination treatment. The protein and carbohydrate
content of both groups (with or without the testa) decreased
slightly during this treatment, whereas lipid content increased.
Group PCB (-T) showed more rapid metabolic processes
than did group PCB (+T) during the pregermination treatment.
Western blot analysis showed that the cocoa beans contained
an allergenic protein of ~28 kDa. Removal of the testa
strongly reduced the amount of this allergenic protein after
72 h of the pregermination treatment. Generally, the pregermination
treatment
increased
antioxidant
activity
in
both
groups.
Significant
differences
in
the
antioxidant
activity
were
observed
between
groups
PCB
(-T)
and
PCB
(+T).
Particularly,
group
PCB
(-T)
showed
high
antioxidant
activity
at
72
h
of
the
pregermination
treatment.
Thus,
the combination of cocoa beans without the testa and pregermination
treatment
(72
h)
seems
to
be
the
optimal
method
for
production
of
hypoallergenic
cocoa
beans
rich
in
antioxidants
for
patients
with
allergic
disorders. | en_US |
