Assessment of flavanol stereoisomers and caffeine and theobromine content in commercial chocolates

•Epicatechin concentration could predict the total flavanols and procyanidin content.•No correlation was found between catechin content and the rest of flavanols.•% Cocoa solids is no clear indicator of (−)-epicatechin, the most bioactive compound.

Assessment of the flavanol composition of 41 commercial chocolates was by HPLC-DAD. Among individual flavonols ranged from 0.095 to 3.264 mg g−1, epicatechin was the predominant flavanol accounting for 32.9%. Contrary to catechin, epicatechin was a reliable predictive value of the polyphenol content. Conversely the percentage of theobromine used as a proxy measure for nonfat cocoa solids (NFCS) was not a good predictor of epicatechin or flavanol content. In a further chiral analysis, the naturally occurring forms of cocoa flavanols, (−)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin, was determined joint the occurrence of (+)-epicatechin and (−)-catechin due to the epimerization reactions produced in chocolate manufacture. (−)-Epicatechin, the most bioactive compound and predominant form accounted of 93%. However, no positive correlation was found with% cocoa solids, the most significant quality parameter.