Caffeine and Saturated Fat Contents of Chocolate

Does white chocolate contain any caffeine?

The ingredients of white chocolate consist of deodorized cocoa butter, milk, and sugar.

After melting the cocoa butter with hot steam, the solid portion of cocoa bean is removed through filtering. The left over part is the naturally occurring fat from cocoa bean or cocoa butter. This fat does not contain caffeine. Hence no caffeine is present in white chocolate.

Does chocolate contain any caffeine generally?

While eating chocolate can wake you up and give you energy boosts, it is actually not very high in caffeine. Depending on the recipes, on the average, a 40-gram (1.4 oz) chocolate bar or an 8-oz glass of chocolate milk both contain about 6 mg of caffeine, the same amount as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. For regular coffee, it contains about 65-135mg of caffeine.

Caffeine exists in the cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate. Hence, the amount of caffeine in a chocolate bar depends on the amount of cocoa beans used. The cocoa bean can contains between 0.1% and 0.7% caffeine, 0.2% being the most commonly found amount. In comparison, dry tea leaves contain approximately 3% caffeine, and dry coffee beans has about 1.2% caffeine.

Dark chocolate contains a higher percentage of caffeine since it contains more cocoa solids than does milk chocolate or white chocolate. A typical dark chocolate contains about 39% of cocoa beans, while a milk chocolate 16%. However, nobody would eat a whole lot of chocolate, dark or milk chocolate in one sitting. In fact, the darker the chocolate, the less people would be able to consume in one sitting. It is preferred to consume and savour in small pieces, not all at once. Therefore, one would consume a small to moderate amount of caffeine even when dark chocolate is consumed, not nearly as much as coffee. It is not common for someone to consume enough dark chocolate in a single sitting to equal the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee.

As a conclusion, the amount of caffeine actually consumed when eating chocolate largely depends on the person - the darkness of the chocolate, and the number of small pieces the person would consume in one sitting.

Chocolate is made of cocoa butter that contains naturally-occurring saturated fat. In spite of that, consuming chocolate will not affect the level of cholesterol in your blood; on the contrary, it reduces cholesterol.

How is that so ? The chart below shows the percentage of various types of fat content in the cocoa bean. Cocoa bean actually contains good type of fat - about 36% monounsaturated fat and 2% of polyunsaturated fat. Oleic acid, a type of omega-nine fatty acid, made up a large proportion of these fats, which is in fact a healthier source of fat in the diet. Commonly used as a replacement for animal fat sources that are high in saturated fat, they help in reduce the harmful cholesterol levels.

The other 61% of fat in cocoa butter is saturated fat. Out of this, 57% is stearic acid which is cholesterol neutral. Numerous researches have shown that stearic acid has neutral impact on blood cholesterol, when diets were kept the same.

Chocolate is not the only cause for tooth cavity. Cavities formed when bacteria in the mouth metabolize sugars and starches from any type of food, such as juice, candy, cake, bread, rice, pasta etc, and produces acid. This acid eats through the enamel of the tooth, causing cavities.

Milk Chocolate contains protein, calcium and phosphate, which in fact, serves to protect and strengthen tooth enamel. Its naturally occurring fat content also helps to clear the mouth faster than other sugary food such as candy, reducing the amount of time its sugar remain in contact with tooth surfaces.

If you drink water to clear the mouth immediately after consuming chocolate, it will cleanse the mouth from enamel acidification caused by chocolate.

Regular tooth-brushing and proper mouth hygiene will also remove the fermentable carbohydrate residue. Applying plastic sealants will also help to prevent cavity formation. With that, moderate consumption of chocolate should not cause tooth cavities.