Notes on chocolate cities

Chocolate Cities is a work of Black urban studies, treating the entire US as a variegated “South.” Despite regional differences the US retains its endemic white supremacism. Based on this recognition, the authors argue, it is necessary to reimagine and revaluate the breadth and depth of Blackness throughout the country. The authors proceed virtually to reinvent Black urban sociology and thoroughly to reinterpret Black cultural studies. In doing so they challenge US census data and much of the sociology of race, as well as drawing on a wealth of intellectual, political, and popular cultural resources that explore the breadth and depth of Black peoplehood. In many ways, Chocolate Cities returns us to the Black nationalist framework: W. E. B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Zora Neale Hurston, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Aretha Franklin, and Tupac Shakur all appear here, as do intersectionality studies, LGBT activism, and the Movement for Black Lives.     

From chocolate mousse to acid drops: an introduction to FSG research

Research has always been one of the functions of the Field Studies Council. One facet of this is the great diversity of small projects which support educational courses at the Field Centres. There has also been the growth, from small beginnings in 1967, of the Oil Pollution Research Unit at Orielton. OPRU has operated internationally for many years and undertakes both basic research and contract work for industry and governments. A more recent development involving contract work is 'acid rain' monitoring. These industrial facets of FSC Research have useful educational spin-offs.     

Dark chocolate consumption increases HDL cholesterol concentration and chocolate fatty acids may inhibit lipid peroxidation in healthy humans

Cocoa powder is rich in polyphenols and, thus, may contribute to the reduction of lipid peroxidation. Our aim was to study the effects of long-term ingestion of chocolate, with differing amounts of polyphenols, on serum lipids and lipid peroxidation ex vivo and in vivo. We conducted a 3 week clinical supplementation trial of 45 nonsmoking, healthy volunteers. Participants consumed 75 g daily of either white chocolate (white chocolate, WC group), dark chocolate (dark chocolate, DC group), or dark chocolate enriched with cocoa polyphenols (high-polyphenol chocolate, HPC group). In the DC and HPC groups, an increase in serum HDL cholesterol was observed (11.4% and 13.7%, respectively), whereas in the WC group there was a small decrease (-2.9%, p < 0.001). The concentration of serum LDL diene conjugates, a marker of lipid peroxidation in vivo, decreased 11.9% in all three study groups. No changes were seen in the total antioxidant capacity of plasma, in the oxidation susceptibility of serum lipids or VLDL + LDL, or in the concentration of plasma F2-isoprostanes or hydroxy fatty acids. Cocoa polyphenols may increase the concentration of HDL cholesterol, whereas chocolate fatty acids may modify the fatty acid composition of LDL and make it more resistant to oxidative damage.     

Chrysosporium species, potential spoilage organisms of chocolate

Standard methods of analysing foods for the presence of moulds are inadequate for thedetection of genera such as Chrysosporium which do not grow at the high wateractivities of most mycological media. The use of malt, yeast, 50% glucose agar (MY50G) insealed containers as an enrichment medium allowed time for germination and growth ofheat-stressed spores. Three Chrysosporium spp., C. xerophilum Pitt, C. inops (Carmichael) and C. farinicola (Burnside) Skou, were isolated fromcommercial chocolate bars with a water activity (a _w ) of approximately0·28. Chrysosporium inops was isolated from commercial milk crumb and anew Chrysosporium sp. was isolated from Ghanaian cocoa beans. In chocolates madeby coating MY50G agar (a_w = 0·89) with chocolate (a_w = 0·27) containing C. inops arthroconidia, two types of deterioration were seenafter storage. The first was fat bloom due to recrystallization of the cocoa butter on the outer andinner chocolate surface. The second was growth of C. inops which occurred on theinside chocolate surface adjacent to the MY50G agar filling and on the outside surface afterholding at 92% equilibrium relative humidity (erh) for 12 d. There was some evidence that C. inops could grow on the outside of chocolates held at 5·7% erh after 4months' storage at 25 °C. The appearance of the white fungal growth was not unlikefat bloom to the naked eye but was clearly different with the electron microscope.     

Growth characteristics of Saccharomyces rouxii isolated from chocolate syrup.

We investigated the growth parameters of Saccharomyces rouxii isolated from spoiled chocolate syrup. The optimum pH range for S. rouxii was 3.5 to 5.5, whereas the minimum and maximum pH values that permitted growth were 1.5 and 10.5, respectively. For cells grown in 0 and 60% sucrose the optimum water activity (aw) values were 0.97 and 0.96, respectively. The optimum temperature for S. rouxii increased with a decreasing aw regardless of whether glucose or sucrose was used as the humectant. The optimum temperatures for S. rouxii were 28 degrees C at an aw of greater than 0.995 and 35 degrees C at an aw of 0.96 to 0.90 in 2 X potato dextrose broth with sucrose. Increasing the sorbate concentration (from 0.03 to 0.10%) caused the growth of S. rouxii to become more inhibited between aws of greater than 0.995 and 0.82. S. rouxii did not grow when the sorbate level was 0.12% (wt/vol). At lower sorbate levels, the effect of sorbate on the growth of S. rouxii depended on the aw level. Lowering the aw enhanced the resistance of S. rouxii to increasing concentrations of potassium sorbate. Permeability and polyol production are discussed with respect to sorbate tolerance of S. rouxii at different aw levels.     

Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to link sporadic cases of invasive listeriosis with recalled chocolate milk.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis established the linkage between recalled chocolate milk and a multistate invasive listeriosis outbreak during a four-product recall period. Listeria monocytogenes isolates from four hospitalized patients and an environmental dairy sample displayed AscI restriction endonuclease digestion profiles identical to that of the chocolate milk isolate.     

Influence of certain soil factors on chocolate spot of beans

In the summer of 1941 chocolate spot of beans was widespread in the South-Eastern Agricultural Province and caused much damage to the crop. Soil samples were collected from forty-nine affected fields on a variety of soil types, and the relation between the severity of attack by chocolate spot and the texture, pH, available potassium and available phosphorus determined. Severity of attack was classified into three grades: 'slight', in which only spotting of the foliage occurred; 'moderate', in which death of leaves and blossoms on the three or four lowest nodes occurred; and 'severe', in which there was generally a total loss of crop. No significant relation between severity of attack and soil texture, pH or available potassium was found. A highly significant relation was found to exist between the severity of attack and the amount of available phosphorus in the soil as determined by the method of soil analysis used in this Province. Damage by chocolate spot was generally slight on soils containing 'medium to medium high' or higher amounts of available phosphorus, and generally severe on soils containing low amounts of available phosphorus.     

PROP (6-n-Propylthiouracil) tasting and sensory responses to caffeine,sucrose, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and chocolate

The genetically determined ability to taste 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) has been linked with lowered acceptance of some bitter foods. Fifty-four women, aged 18-30 years, tasted and rated PROP-impregnated filter paper and seven solutions of PROP. Summed bitterness intensity ratings for PROP solutions determined PROP taster status. Respondents also tasted five sucrose and seven caffeine solutions, as well as seven solutions each of caffeine and PROP that had been sweetened with 0.3 mmol/l neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC). Respondents also rated three kinds of chocolate using 9-point category scales. PROP tasters rated caffeine solutions as more bitter than did non-tasters and liked them less. PROP tasters did not rate either sucrose or NHDC as more sweet. The addition of NHDC to PROP and caffeine solutions suppressed bitterness intensity more effectively for tasters than for non-tasters and improved hedonic ratings among both groups. PROP tasters and non-tasters showed the same hedonic response to sweetened caffeine solutions and did not differ in their sensory responses to chocolate. Genetic taste markers may have only a minor impact on the consumption of such foods as sweetened coffee or chocolate.     

NMR protocol for determination of oxidation susceptibility of serum lipids and application of the protocol to a chocolate study

A protocol for determination of oxidation susceptibility of serum lipids based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy is presented and compared to the commonly used spectrophotometric method. Even though there are methodological differences between these two methods, the NMR-based oxidation susceptibility correlates well (r(2)?=?0.73) with the lag time determined spectrophotometrically. In addition to the oxidizability of serum lipids, the NMR method provides also information about the lipid profile. The NMR oxidation assay was applied to the chocolate study including fasting serum samples (n?=?45) from subjects who had consumed white (WC), dark (DC) or high-polyphenol chocolate (HPC) daily for 3?weeks. The oxidation susceptibility of serum lipids decreased in the HPC group, and there was a significant difference between the WC and HPC groups (P?=?0.031). According to the random forest analysis, the consumption of the HPC chocolate induced changes to the amounts of HDL, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and nervonic, docosahexaenoic and myristic acids. Furthermore, arachidonic, docosahexaenoic, docosapentaenoic and palmitic acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, hemoglobin, HDL, phosphatidylcholine and choline containing phospholipids explained about 60% of the oxidation susceptibility values. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11306-011-0323-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Formation of guaiacol in chocolate milk by the psychrotrophic bacterium Rahnella aquatilis

AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the causative agent of a smoky/phenolic taint in refrigerated full cream chocolate milk. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbiological examination of spoiled and unspoiled milk samples from the same processor showed high numbers of the psychrotrophic coliform Rahnella aquatilis in the spoiled samples only. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to identify and quantify the taint compound as guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) in the spoiled milk. Challenge studies in UHT chocolate and white milks inoculated with the isolate and incubated at 4-5 degrees C and 8-9 degrees C for 6 d showed the production of guaiacol in chocolate milk only, which was confirmed and quantified by GC/MS. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that if present in refrigerated chocolate milk, Rah. aquatilis can produce guaiacol within the expected shelf-life of the product, even without temperature abuse. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report that the coliform Rah. aquatilis can produce guaiacol in refrigerated chocolate milk products.     

Attenuated response of the serum triglyceride concentration to ingestion of a chocolate containing polydextrose and lactitol in place of sugar

We examined the effects of ingesting a non-sugar chocolate containing polydextrose and lactitol in place of sucrose and lactose on the concentrations of plasma glucose and serum insulin and triglyceride in humans. A regular chocolate was used as the control. A crossover study was employed, and the subjects each ingested 46 g of the control or non-sugar chocolate in the experiments. Alterations in the blood components were monitored for a period of 150 min after ingestion. The control chocolate elevated the concentrations of plasma glucose and serum insulin, with the peak occurring 30 min after ingestion, but the non-sugar chocolate had a very minor effect. The serum triglyceride concentration gradually increased after ingesting the control chocolate, but was only slightly elevated 150 min after ingesting the non-sugar chocolate. An animal study also showed an attenuated response of serum triglyceride to the administration of a fat emulsion containing polydextrose and lactitol, suggesting that the triglyceride transit through the gut was promoted by these compounds. These results suggest that, compared to regular chocolate, fat absorption in the gut was less after ingesting the non-sugar chocolate, presumably resulting in less effect on body fat deposition.     

Azoreductase activity in bacteria associated with the greening of instant chocolate puddings.

Pseudomonas sp. strain AZR1 and Klebsiella sp. strain AZR2 were isolated from reconstituted instant chocolate puddings that had turned green and were found to have azoreductase activity. This activity was inducible and NADH dependent. Differences in dye reduction rates between the two strains were apparent, and substrate specificity related to dye structure was observed.     

The effects of low fat chocolate milk on postexercise recovery in collegiate athletes

Spaccarotella, KJ and Andzel, WD. The effects of low fat chocolate milk on postexercise recovery in collegiate athletes. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3456-3460, 2011-Drinking chocolate milk between exercise sessions may improve recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low fat chocolate milk vs. a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage (CE) on recovery between preseason practice sessions among 5 male and 8 female Division III soccer players. The study used a randomized crossover design: between morning and afternoon practices, athletes received either an amount of chocolate milk that provided 1 g carbohydrate per kilogram body weight or an equal volume of CE (mean volume of 615 ± 101 ml). After their afternoon practice, they completed a shuttle run to fatigue. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon paired rank-sign test (for shuttle run time) and the paired samples t-test (for dietary intake). No significant differences in run time were reported for the group. For the men only, there was a trend of increased time to fatigue with chocolate milk compared with the CE (exact p = 0.03). Low fat chocolate milk may therefore be as good as a CE at promoting recovery between training sessions during preseason.