MXPA00008861A - Products containing polyphenol(s) and l-arginine to stimulate nitric oxide production - Google Patents

Abstract

Foods and pharmaceuticals which contain cocoa and/or nut procyanidin(s) in combination with L-arginine are effective to induce a physiological increase in nitric oxide production in a mammal having ingested the product.A preferred food product is a confection, particularly a dark or milk chocolate containing nuts. The procyanidins may be natural or synthetic and may be provided by food ingredients such as chocolate liquor and/or cocoa solids prepared from underfermented beans and nut skins. The L-arginine may be natural or synthetic and may be provided by food ingredients such as nut meats, nut pastes, and/or nut flours, seeds, seed pastes, and/or seed flours, or gelatin. The beneficial health effects may include, for example, reduced blood pressure, resistance to cardiovascular disease, and anticancer activity.

Description

PRODUCTS CONTAINING POLYPHENOL (ES) AND L-ARGININE TO STIMULATE NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION FIELD OF THE INVENCIÓT ~ ~ ~ "~ The invention relates to products containing polyphenols and L-arginine and having a beneficial effect on the health of mammals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION "Polyphenolic compounds are bioactive substances obtained from plant materials and are closely associated with the sensitive and nutritional quality of the products that contain them." Proanthocyanidins are a class of polyphenolic compounds found in various plant species. These are oligomers of monomeric units of flavan-3-ol very frequently bound as 4-6 or 4-8. The most common are the procyanidins which are chains of catechin, epicatechin, and their acid esters. gallic and prodelfinidins consisting of gallocatechma, epigallocatechin, and their gallic acid esters as monomeric units, structural variations in proanthocyanidin oligomers can also be observed with the formation of a second interflavonoid bond by oxidative coupling CO to form type A oligomers.

Due to the complexity of this conversion, type A proanthocyanidins are not frequently found in nature compared to type B oligomers. The term "cocoa polyphenols" includes polyphenolic compounds that include proanthocyanidins, more specifically procyanidins, extracted from cocoa seeds and derivatives thereof More specifically, the term "cocoa polyphenol" includes monomers of the formula An (where n is 1) or oligomers of the formula An (where n is an integer from 2 to 18, and greater) , where A has The formula: and R is 3 (a) -OH, 3- (ß), 3- (a) -O-saccharide, 3- (ß) -O-saccharide 3- () -0-C (0) -R1, or 3-. { ß) -0C (O) -R1; The bond between adjacent monomers takes place in positions 4, 6 or 8; A binding to a monomer in position 4 has alpha or beta stereochemistry; X, Y and Z are selected from the group consisting of A, hydrogen, a saccharide moiety, with the proviso that at least one terminal monomer, joining the monomer adjacent to it, is in position 4 and, optionally, Y = Z = hydrogen; and wherein the saccharide portion is a mono- or disaccharide moiety and may be optionally substituted with a phenolic moiety and R 'may be an aryl or heteroaryl moiety optionally substituted with at least one hydroxyl group; and Salts, derivatives and products of the oxidation of these. Preferably, the saccharide portion is obtained from the group consisting of glucose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose and arabinose. The saccharide portion and any or all of R, X, Y and Z may optionally be substituted at any position with a phenolic moiety through an ester linkage. The phenolic portion is selected from the group consisting of coffee, cinnamic, cuic, ferulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic and sinapic acids. Proanthocyanidins have attracted increasing attention due to the rapid growth of evidence associating these compounds with a wide range of potential health benefits. Tea catechins have recently been associated with potent antioxidant activity and with the reduction of tumor multiplicity in laboratory mice (Lunder, 1992; Wang et al., 1992; Chung et al., 1992). In addition, proanthocyanidins in grape seed extracts have been shown to have free radical scavenging capabilities and to decrease the susceptibility of healthy cells to toxic and carcinogenic agents (Bagchi et al., 1997; Waterhouse and Walzem, 1997; col., 1998). Polyphenols in grape juice and red wine have been associated with potential cardiovascular benefits, including reduced platelet aggregation, modulation of eicosanoid synthesis, and inhibition of low density lipoprotein oxidation (Waterhouse and Walzem, 1997). Schramm et al., 1988; Frankel et al., 1995). At present, it has been suggested that any potential health benefits attributed to these compounds can be affected by the degree of polymerization (Saito et al., 1998). Multiple plant polyphenols have antioxidant activity and have an inhibitory effect on mutagenesis. and carcinogenesis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. ,554,645 and U.S. Patent No. 5,712,305 disclose cocoa polyphenol extracts, particularly procyanidins that have been shown to have biological utility. meaningful The international publication WO 97/36497 (published on December 24, 1997) describes that these extracts also work to reduce periodontal disease, arteriosclerosis and hypertension; inhibit the oxidation of LDL and DNA topoisomerase II; modulate cyclo-oxygenase, lipoxygenase, nitric oxide or N-synthase, apoptosis and platelet aggregation; and possess anti-inflammatory activity, anti-gingivitis and anti-periodontis [sic]. In addition, WO 97/36497 discloses that polyphenol oligomers 5-12 have better anti-cancer activity compared to the other polyphenol compounds isolated from cocoa. Thus, the consumption of these higher oligomers in cocoa products can provide significant health benefits. As already noted, the use of cocoa extracts or polyphenols obtained from them as modulators of NO or NO synthase is described in International Publication WO 97/36497. It has been shown that nitric oxide plays a role in very significant biological processes, such as neurotransmission, blood coagulation, control of blood pressure, regulation of serum lipid levels, cardiovascular diseases, cerebral circulation (pain of vascular head) and a function in the ability of the immune system to kill tumor cells and intracellular parasites. P. Clarkson, and col-, v, 0ral L-arginine Improves Endothelium dependent situation in Hyperc olesterolemic Young Adults ", J. Clin, Innest. 97, No 8: 1989-1994 (April 1996), PL Feldman, et al. , "The Surprising Life of Nitric Oxide", Chem. &Eng.

News, pp. 26-38 (December 20, 1993); S. Snyder, et al., "Biological Rules of Nitric Oxide", Scientific American, pp. 68-77 (May 1992); P. Chowienczyk et al., "L-arginine: No More Than A Simple Amino Acid?", Lancet, 350: 901-30 (September 27, 1997); M. A. Wheeler, et al., "Efforts of Long Term Oral L-Arginine on The Nitric Oxide Synthase Pathway in The Uriñe from Patients with Interstitial Cystitis", J. Urology 158: 2 045-2050 (December, 1997); A. Tenenbaum, "L-Arginine: Rediscovery in Progress", Cardiology 90: 153-159 (1998); I. K. Mohán, et al., "Effort of L-arginine Nitric Oxide System On Chemical-Induced Diabetes Mellitus", Free Radical Biology & Medicine 25, No. 7: 757-765 (1998); S. Klahr, "The Role of L-Arginine in Hypertension and Nephrotoxicity", Pharmacology and Therapeutics, pp. 547-550 (1998); and R. H. Boger, et al., "Dietary L-arginine and L-Tocopheral Reduce Vascular Oxidation Stress and Preserve Endothelial Function in some Hypocholesteralemic Rabbits via Different Mechanisms," Arterosclerosis 141: 31-43 (1998). For example, health benefits of various foods have been suggested. It has been reported that peanuts are a source of resveratrol, the compound is found in vines and red wine that has been linked to reduced cardiovascular disease. A diet that includes nuts, as found, results in a reduction in serum lipid and blood pressure levels. See Sabate, J. et al., "Effects of walnuts on serum Lipid Levéis and Blood Pressure in Nomrla Men" New England J. Med. 328: 603-607 (March 4/1993). It has also been suggested that the Frequent nut consumption may offer protection against coronary heart disease. See Sabate, J. et al., "Nuts: A New Protective Food Against Coronary Herat Disease," Lipidology 5: 11-16 (1994). Without wishing to adhere to any theory, a mechanism of action suggested among others, includes the presence of relatively high concentrations of arginine in nuts that give rise to the production of nitric oxide, thereby causing the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. It is considered that L-arginine is a substrate for the production of nitric oxide through nitric oxide synthase. Therefore, products such as jams and products containing cocoa (cocoa powder, chocolate liquors or extracts thereof) having a high concentration of cocoa polyphenol, especially a high concentration of cocoa polyphenol oligomers 5-12 would be desirable . It would also be very desirable to provide products containing effective amounts of both polyphenols, particularly cocoa procyanidin (s), and L-arginine to stimulate the production of nitric oxide and produce health benefits provided therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to novel food products containing at least one polyphenol (ie cocoa and / or nut procyanidin) and L-arginine in a combined amount effective to induce physiological increase in the nitric oxide production in mammals after ingesting the food product. The procyanidin can be synthetic or natural. In a preferred embodiment, cocoa polyphenol IL-arginine are provided, respectively, by a polyphenol-containing component (eg, cocoa powder and / or cocoa and / or walnut skin ingredient) and a component that contain L-arginine (for example, walnut). However, this invention also encompasses food products in which cocoa and / or nut polfenol and / or L-arginine, any of which can be natural or synthetic, are added directly to the food product. The food products of this invention provide healthy benefits to mammals that ingest food products. A particularly advantageous health benefit is the reduction of blood pressure. Other benefits-healthy may include reduction in cardiovascular diseases, anti-cancer activity, antioxidant activity, treatment of kidney diseases, better immune function and better cognitive function. The cocoa polyphenols contained in the food products of this invention are preferably 2-12 oligomers of the cocoa polyphenol, and most preferably the 5-12 cocoa polyphenol oligomers. Cocoa polyphenols, which contain procyanidins, are present in cocoa seeds. These are obtained by solvent extraction of the non-fermented powdered seeds as described in U.S. 5,554,645. They are also present in chocolate components prepared from cocoa seeds. Suitable cocoa procanidin-containing ingredients include roasted cocoa beans, chocolate liquor, partially defatted cocoa solids, nonfat cocoa solids, crushed cocoa powder of cocoa solids and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the ingredients are prepared from insufficiently fermented seeds, since these seeds contain higher amounts of cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins. A particularly preferred food product of this invention are desserts, more specifically chocolates, which include chocolates with identity standards and without identity standards. The food products of this invention can also be food products without chocolate. Preferred non-chocolate food products include nut-based products such as peanut butter [sic], peanut brittle [sic] and the like. Another preferable food product of this invention is a low-fat food product prepared with defatted or partially defatted nuts. L-arginine can be obtained from any available source of arginine, for example Arachis hypogaea (peanut), Juglans regia (walnut), Prunus amygdalus (almond), Corylus avellana (hazelnuts), Glycine max (soybean) and the like. Also useful are Carya illinoensis (pecan or walnut), Amacardium occidentale (cashew or cashew nut), and Macadamia intergrifolia, M. tetraphylla (macadamia nut). It is known that the L-arginine content of the nuts can vary according to the ripeness of the nut and, in addition, certain crops can have higher concentrations. The related species of each genus will also be useful in the present. Peanuts generally have approximately 2-3 g of L-arginine per 100 g of seed. The L-arginine content of the almonds is approximately 2-3 g per 100 g, of the nuts approximately 2-4 g per 100 g, of the hazelnuts approximately 1.5-2.5 g per 100 g and of the pecan nuts and macademia approximately 0.5 -1.5 g per 100 q. the nut may be pieces of walnut, the walnut skin, walnut paste and / or walnut flour present in amounts that provide the desired amount of L-arginine, which will vary depending on the origin of the walnut. The ingredient that contains L-arginine can also be a seed, seed paste and / or seed meal. Suitable seeds include Heliantiaus annuus (sunflower seeds), Sesamum indicum (sesame seeds), Fenegreco seeds, Cucurbit spp. (pumpkin seeds) and the like. The sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds respectively contain approximately 1.5-3.0 g, approximately 3.5-6.0 g and approximately 2-3 g of L-arginine per 100 g. Another source high in L-arginine is gelatin that contains approximately 5 g of L-arginine per 100 g of gelatin. The food product at least about 200 mg, preferably 300 mg procyanidins per 100 grams of product and at least about 0.9 g, preferably 1.9 g, more preferably 1.6 g of L-arginine per 100 grams of food product. The food product may contain polyphenols from a different source of cocoa, for example, polyphenols found in the skins of nuts such as those described above. Peanut skins contain approximately 17% procyanidins, and almond skins contain up to 30% procyanidins. In a preferred embodiment, the walnut skins are used for the food product, for example, the nougat of a chocolate candy. The fruit and vegetable polyphenols may also be convenient for use herein. It is known that the skins of fruits such as apples and oranges, as well as the seeds of the grapes are high in polyphenols. Without adhering to the theory, it is considered that the combination of polyphenol (s) of cocoa and L-arginine provides unexpectedly improved health benefits due to the positive modulation of polyphenol NO and / or NO synthase in the presence of L-arginine. , a substrate for N-synthase. Thus, the production of nitric oxide is increased by the combination of cocoa and / or nut polyphenol and / or L-arginine which gives rise to better health benefits obtained from nitric oxide, for example, the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. , reduction in blood pressure, anti-cancer activity and the like. This invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing at least one polyphenol (s), cocoa and / or nut, L-arginine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The polyphenol (s) and L-arginine are present in a combined amount effective to induce physiological increase in nitric oxide production in a mammal ingesting the composition. The procyanidin (s) of the cocoa and / or the nut are present in an amount between 1 μg to about 10 g per unit dose. L-arginine is present in an amount of about 1 μg to about 10 g per unit dose. The polyphenol ingredient of cocoa can be an extract of a cocoa material (seeds, liquor or powder, etc.) or it can be a synthesized derivative thereof, or it can be a polyphenol compound synthesized or a mixture of polyphenol compounds or derivatives thereof. Procyanidin extracted from walnut skins are also suitable for use herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION _ The food product of this invention contains at least one cocoa polyphenol and, optionally, polyphenols of other origins as already described. Cocoa polyphenol can be from any source, that is, natural or synthesized. More preferably, the cocoa polyphenol is an oligomer. The term "cocoa polyphenol" includes the procyanidins present in cocoa seeds or cocoa ingredients used in the production of chocolate desserts, cocoa seed extracts or a cocoa ingredient containing procyanidins, and derivatives synthesized thereof, and includes polyphenol cocoa compounds synthesized or synthesized mixtures of the polyphenol cocoa compounds, and derivatives thereof. Cocoa seeds can be completely fermented or incompletely fermented. The term "cocoa ingredient" refers to the cocoa solids, containing the material obtained from the shelled cocoa teeth and includes cocoa liquor, partially cocoa solids or completely defatted (for example, cake or powder, cocoa powder). alkalized cocoa [sic] or alkalized chocolate liquor and the like). The term "chocolate liquor" refers to the dark brown fluid "liquor" that is formed when grinding a cocoa tooth, the fluidity is due to the breaking of cell walls and the release of cocoa butter during processing giving origin in a suspension of crushed particles of cocoa solids suspended in cocoa butter. The partially defatted cocoa solids containing a high cocoa polyphenol (CP) content including a high cocoa procyanidin content can be obtained by processing the cocoa seeds directly to cocoa solids without a roasting step of the seeds or teeth. This method conserves cocoa polyphenols because it omits the step of traditional toasting. The method consists mainly of the steps of: (a) heating the cocoa seeds to a sufficient internal seed temperature to reduce the moisture content to about 3% by weight and release the cocoa shell; (b) the separation of the cacao teeth from the cocoa shells; (c) pressing the cocoa teeth by friction or screw; (d) recovering cocoa butter and partially defatted cocoa solids containing cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins. Optionally, the cocoa seeds are cleaned before the heating step, for example, in a density separator by air fluidized bed. The shaking or winnowing can also be done in the density separator, fluidized bed air. Preferably, the cocoa seeds are heated to an internal seed temperature of about 100aC to about 110oC, more preferably less than about 105oC, usually using an infrared heating apparatus for about 3 to 4 minutes If desired, the cocoa solids may be alkalized [sic] and / or ground to a cocoa powder. The internal temperature of the seed (IBT) can be measured by filling an isolated container, such as a thermal bottle with seeds (approximately 80-100 seeds). The insulated container is then suitably sealed to maintain the temperature of the sample therein. A thermometer is inserted into the insulated container filled with seeds and the temperature of the thermometer is balanced with respect to the seeds in the thermometer. The reading of the temperature is the IBT temperature of the seeds. The IBT can be considered as the temperature of the equilibrium mass of the seeds. Cocoa seeds can be divided into four categories, based on their color: mainly coffee (completely fermented), purple / brown, purple and slate color (unfermented). Preferably, the cocoa solids are prepared from incompletely fermented cocoa seeds having a higher cocoa polyphenol content than the fermented seeds. Fermented seeds of "incomplete" form include slate-colored cocoa seeds, purple cocoa seeds, mixtures of slate and purple colored cocoa seeds, mixtures of purple and brown cocoa seeds or mixtures of slate, purple and brown cocoa seeds. Most preferably, cocoa seeds are slate-colored and / or purple cocoa seeds. As already described, cocoa polyphenol (CP) content, including cocoa procyanidin content, roasted cocoa teeth, chocolate liquor and partially defatted or fat-free cocoa solids are higher when these are prepared from cocoa seeds or mixtures of these that are incompletely fermented, that is, seeds that have a fermentation factor of 275 or less. The "fermentation factor" is determined using a grading system to characterize the fermentation of the cocoa seeds. The slate color is designated 1, purple is 2, purple / coffee is 3 and coffee is 4. The percentage of seeds that fall within each category is multiplied by the weighted number. Thus, the "fermentation factor" for a sample of 100% brown seeds would be 100 x 4 or 400, while for a sample 100% purple seeds would be 100 x 2 or 200. A sample of 50 % of slate-colored seeds and 50% of purple seeds would have a fermentation factor of 150 [(50 x 1) + (50 x 2)]. Chocolate liquor with high CP and / or high CP cocoa solids can be prepared by: (a) roasting the selected cocoa seeds (fermentation factor of 275 or less) at an internal seed temperature of 95 ° C until 160 ° C; (b) shaking cacao beans from roasted cocoa beans; (c) crushing the cocoa teeth in the chocolate liquor; and (d) optionally recovering the cocoa butter and the partially defatted cocoa solids of the chocolate liquor. Otherwise, the chocolate liquor and / or cocoa solids may be prepared by: (a) heating the selected cocoa seeds (fermentation factor of 275 or less), at an internal seed temperature of 95-135 ° C to reduce the moisture content to about 3% by weight and release the cocoa shell from the cocoa teeth; (b) shaking the cocoa teeth from the cocoa shells; (c) toasting cocoa teeth at an internal tooth temperature of 95 ° C to 160 ° C; (d) grind the toasted teeth to the chocolate liquor; and (e) optionally recovering the cocoa butter and the partially defatted cocoa solids of the chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor and partially defatted cocoa solids containing at least 50,000 μg of total cocoa procyanidins and / or at least 5,000 μg of cocoa procyanidin pentamer per gram of non-fat cocoa solids can be prepared by the previous processes. An extract containing cocoa polyphenols including cocoa procyanidins can be prepared by solvent extraction of the partially defatted cocoa solids or the fat-free cocoa solids prepared from the cocoa seeds or incompletely fermented cocoa teeth.

The partially defatted cocoa solids and / or cocoa polyphenol extracts can be used in therapeutic compositions, optionally with a carrier or diluent. Therapeutic compositions are useful as anti-neoplastic compositions, antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, nitric oxide (NO) or N-synthase modulators, cyclo-oxygenase modulators, lipoxygenase modulators, and in vivo glucose modulators. Food products with high CP can be prepared using high CP roasted cocoa teeth, high CP chocolate liqueurs, and / or partially defatted or fat-free cocoa solids with high CP. Food products include pet food, cocoa powder mixes, pudding, syrups, biscuits, hot sauces, rice mixes, rice cakes, beverage mixes, beverages and the like. Preferably, the food products are confectionery, for example dark chocolate or milk chocolate. The extract can also be used to prepare foods that have a high polyphenol content of cocoa. The health of a mammal can be improved by administering to the mammal a composition containing cocoa and / or nutty procyanidins or cocoa components and / or walnut components with high CPs above. In these compositions, the total amount of the procyanidin oligomer (s) is at least 1 μg greater, and the composition is administered daily for more than 60 days. The cocoa procyanidins can be structurally represented as oligomers of monomer A, having the formula An, where n is 2-18, where A has the formula: and R is 3- (a) -OH, 3- (β) -OH, 3- (a) -O-saccharide, 3- (β) -O-saccharide; the junction between the adjacent monomers takes place in positions 4, 6 or 8, with the proviso that X, Y and Z are selected from the group consisting of A, hydrogen and saccharide; a binding to a monomer at position 4 has the stereochemistry a or β, as to at least one terminal monomer; and the junction of the monomer adjacent to it is in position 4. Optionally, Y = Z = hydrogen; and the salts of these; wherein the saccharide portion is obtained from a mono- or disaccharide. In term "oligomer", as used herein, refers to any compound having the above formula, presented above, wherein n is 2 to 18, and preferably, wherein n is 5-12. When n is 2, the oligomer is called a "dimer", when n is 3, the oligomer is called a "trimer"; when n is 4, the oligomer is called a "tetramer"; when n is 5, the oligomer is called a "penta ero"; and similar names can be designated for the oligomers having n until it includes 18 and greater, so that when n is 18, the oligomer is called "octadecamer". The synthesized derivatives of the cocoa polyphenols include compounds, according to structure An, above, wherein R can be 3- (a) -O-saccharide, 3- (β) -o-saccharide, 3- (a) -OC (0) -R1 or 3- (ß) -OC (0) -R1, wherein the saccharide portion can be derived from a mono- or disaccharide selected from the group consisting of: glucose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose and arabinose; wherein the saccharide portion of any or all of R, X, Y and Z can be optionally substituted at any position with a phenolic portion through an ester linkage; wherein the phenolic portion can be selected from the group consisting of: caffeic, cinnamic, coumaric, ferulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic and sinapic acids; and wherein R is a portion, aryl or heteroaryl optionally substituted with at least one hydroxyl portion. The substituted aryl or heteroaryl group of R may preferably contain a substitution pattern corresponding to the substituted phenolic groups of the caffeic, cinnamic, coumaric, ferulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic or sinapic acids. The polyphenol oligomers can be prepared by: (a) protecting each phenolic hydroxyl group from a first and a second polyphenol monomer with. a protective group to produce a. first and second protected polyphenol monomer; (b) functionalizing the 4-position of the first protected polyphenol monomer to produce a protected, functionalized polyphenol moiety having the formula: where: c is an integer from 1 to 3; d is an integer from 1 to 4; and is an integer from 2 to 6; R is a protecting group; and R * is H or OH; (c) coupling the second protected polyphenol monomer with. the protected polyphenol monomer functionalized to produce a protected polyphenol dimer such as the polyphenol oligomer; (d) optionally repeating the steps of -functioning and coupling to form the polyphenol oligomer having n monomer units, wherein n is an integer from 3 to 18; preferably 5-12; and (e) removing the protecting groups of the phenolic hydroxyl groups. The protected polyphenol monomer, preferred is a protected epicatechin. brominated or brominated protected catechin, more preferably an 8-bromo-epicatechin or an 8-bromocatechin. In the above process, position 4 of the protected polyphenol monomer can be functionalized oxidatively using a quinone oxidizing agent in the presence of a diol, for example, ethylene glycol when y is 2. The above process can further comprise the step of: forming a derivative of the polyphenol oligomer by esterifying the polyphenol oligomer in the 3-position of at least one monomer unit to produce an esterified polyphenol oligomer. The ester group may be selected from the group consisting of: -OC (0) -aryl, aryl substituted at -0C (0), -OC (O) -styryl and styryl substituted at OC (O), where the substituted aryl or substituted styryl contains at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of: halo, hydroxyl, nitro, cyano, amino, thiol, methylenedioxy, dialhexylenedioxy, a Ci-Cß alkyl, alkoxy. of Ci-Cβ, a haloalkyl of Ci-Cß, a haloalkoxy of Ci-Cß, a "C3-C8 cycloalkyl, and a C3-C8 cycloalkoxy." Preferably, the 3-position of at least one monomeric unit becomes a derivative group obtained from an acid selected from the group consisting of: caffeic, cinnamic / - coumaric, perulic, gallic, hydroxybenzoic and synaptic acids The above process may further comprise the step of forming a polyphenol oligomer derivative by glycosylating the polyphenol oligomer in position 3 of at least one monomer unit to produce a glycosylated polyphenol oligomer Preferably, position 3 of at least one monomer unit is converted into a derivative group selected from the group consisting of: -O-glucoside or a glucoside -O-substituted, wherein the substituted glucoside is replaced by -C (0) -aryl, substituted aryl in -C (0), -C (O) -styryl or styryl substituted in -C (O). or substituted styryl can contain substituents selected from the group consisting of: halo, hydroxyl, nitro, cyano, amino, thiol, methylenedioxy, dialomethylenedioxy, a Ci-Cß alkyl, a Ci-Cg alkoxy, a haloalkyl of C? ~ Ce,. a Ci-C ^ haloalkoxy, a C3-C8 cycloalkyl and a C3-C8 cycloalkoxy. Preferably, the glucoside is selected from the group consisting of: glucose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose and arabinose. The food products of this invention may contain one or more of the cocoa polyphenol monomers, 2-18 oligomers or derivatives thereof. Preferably, the food products of this invention contain mixtures of cocoa polyphenol 2-18 oligomers, or derivatives thereof; more preferably, the food products contain mixtures of cocoa polyphenol 5-12 oligomers, or derivatives thereof. The food products of this invention include products for ingestion by humans and other mammals, for example, dogs, cats, horses and the like. The food products of this invention can be ingested for nutrition, pleasure or medical or veterinary purposes. A preferred food product is a dessert, a baked product, a seasoning, a granola bar, a meat substitution bar, syrup, powder drink mix, a beverage and the like. Most preferably, the food product of this invention is a chocolate dessert containing nuts, for example, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and the like. Walnut seeds can be in any form, for example, whole walnuts, sliced walnuts, crushed walnuts, walnuts or the like. Preferred non-chocolate food products include peanut butter, peanut butter [sic], and the like. Chocolate-free food products may contain cocoa ingredients, particularly cocoa polyphenol, containing cocoa ingredients, but would not be considered a chocolate product by one skilled in the art, for example, cocoa butter containing a relatively small percentage of cocoa powder having high concentrations of cocoa polyphenols. Chocolate used in food in the United States is subject to an identity standard (SOI) established by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States in accordance with the Federal Law for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics that establishes the required ingredients and the proportions of the same, of a dessert to allow labeling a dessert as "chocolate". The most popular chocolate or chocolate candy consumed in the United States is in the form of sweet chocolate or milk chocolate. Chocolate is mainly ~~ a mixture of cocoa solids suspended in fat. Milk chocolate is a dessert that contains fat-free milk solids, milk fat, chocolate liqueur, a nutritious carbohydrate sweetener, cocoa butter and may include a variety of other ingredients with flavoring emulsifying agents and other additives. Sweet chocolate contains higher amounts of chocolate liquor, but lower amounts of milk solids compared to milk chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate requires at least 35% by weight of chocolate liquor and is otherwise similar in definition to sweet chocolate. The dark chocolate usually contains only chocolate liqueur, a nutritious carbohydrate sweetener and cocoa butter, and is by definition a sweet chpcolate or a semi-sweet chocolate. Milk butter chocolate and skimmed milk chocolate differ from milk chocolate in that the milk fat comes in different forms of sweet cream, milk butter and skimmed milk, respectively. Skim milk requires a total amount of milk fat to be limited to less than the minimum for milk chocolate. Chocolates from mixed dairy products differ from milk chocolates in that the milk solid includes any or all the milk solids mentioned for milk chocolate, milk butter chocolate or skim milk chocolate. White chocolate differs from milk chocolate in that it does not contain non-fat cocoa solids. Heat-stable chocolates are also useful in the present. Unstandardized chocolates are those chocolates that have compositions that are outside the specified ranges of standardized chocolates. Chocolates are classified as "non-standardized" chocolates when the specified ingredient is replaced, partially or completely, as when replacing cocoa butter with vegetable oils or vegetable fats. Any addition - or deletion to a chocolate recipe made outside the US FDA identity standards for chocolate will prohibit the use of the term "chocolate to describe the jam." However, as used herein, the term "chocolate" "or" chocolate product "refers to any chocolate product with identity standard or identity standard.Chocolate can take the form of solid pieces of chocolate, such as bars or novel forms.Chocolate can also be incorporated as a ingredient in other more complex jams, where chocolate is combined with and usually covers other inclusion foods like caramel, peanut butter, nougat, pieces of fruit, nuts, pieces of biscuit, ice cream or similar. These foods are characterized as storage stable microbiologically at 65 ° / 85 ° F (18-29 ° C) under normal atmospheric conditions. The term "carbohydrate" refers to nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, with different degrees of intensity of sweetness and may be any of those commonly used and include, but not limited to, sucrose (eg, cane or beet), dextrose, fructose , lactose, maltose, glucose syrup solids, corn syrup solids, invert sugar, hydrolyzed lactose, honey, maple sugar, brown sugar, molasses and the like. Chocolate food products may also contain other ingredients such as fat-free milk solids, fat-free cocoa solids (cocoa powder), sugar substitutes, natural and artificial flavors (eg, spices, coffee, salt, etc., as well). as mixtures of these), proteins and the like. The food products of this invention also include L-arginine. It is possible to use any source of L-arginine, that is, natural or synthetic. Particularly preferred sources of L-arginine include soybeans and walnut seeds such as peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and the like. Degreased and partially defatted nut kernels can also be used to improve the concentration of L-arginine. Partially defatted or partially defatted walnut seeds are known as walnut flours. In addition to the physiological activities known as produced by cocoa procyanidins or compositions containing cocoa procyanidins, the combination of L-arginine with cocoa procyanidins produces the best effect, as shown by the increased production of nitric oxide. One embodiment of a synergistic effect in the modulation of NO and / or NO-synthase, for example, is as follows. Many foods contain appreciable amounts of L-arginine, but not necessarily cocoa polyphenols. Since L-arginine is a substrate for NO-synthase, and NO-dependent vasodilation is significantly improved in hypercholesterolemic animals receiving L-arginine complement (see Cooke et al., Circulation ^ 3: 1057-1062, 1991) and that cocoa polyphenols can modulate NO concentrations, a synergistic improvement in endothelium-dependent vasodilation is expected. Concentrations of L-arginine from 1.0 to 1.1 / 100 g have been reported in less sweetened cocoa powder. From this base, other sources of L-arginine are incorporated into the food products to provide maximum benefit related to the modulation of NO and NO-synthase. In a particularly preferred embodiment, cocoa and / or nut polyphenols and L-arginine are present in effective amounts to provide the synergistic benefit described above, for example, about 1 mg to about 10 g per unit dose, preferably about 25 mg per unit dose. mg to 3 g of procyanidins. The products of the invention can be used to decrease the growth of cancer cells in mammals, to reduce hypertension of mammals, to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, to inhibit bacterial growth in mammals, to prevent or reduce oterosclerosis [sic] or restenosis, to modulate platelet aggregation, to modulate apoptosis, as an antioxidant, especially for the prevention of LDL oxidation in mammals, to modulate the cycle-. oxygenase and / or lipoxygenase, to modulate or stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO) or nitric oxide (NO) cintasa in mammals, for the treatment of hypercholesterolemic [sic] affected by nitric oxide (NO) in a mammalian, to modulate glucose in vivo, to inhibit tepoisomerase [sic] II, to induce XNOS in mammalian monocytes and / or macrophages, as well as an antimicrobial, antineoplastic, anti-gingivitis or anti-periodontitis agent. The use of the food products and the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention containing cocoa and / or nut polyphenols and L-arginine, novel methods for improving the health of a mammal, particularly a human, can be practiced. A preferred embodiment of the invention is a method for improving the health of a mammal by administering an effective amount of the food product or the pharmaceutical composition containing cocoa and / or polyphenols [sic] L-arginine to the mammalian daily for an effective time. . Depending on the state in question, the effective time can vary from almost instantaneous to a period greater than 60 days. In one aspect, the health of the mammal is improved by ingesting an edible composition containing cocoa polyphenols and L-arginine each day for a period greater than 5 days up to a period of time greater than 60 days. The polyphenols used in this invention modulate nitric oxide (NO) and NO-synthase. Arginine acts as a substance for NO-synthase. The combined amount of cocoa polyphenol IL-arginine is effective to produce a physiological response in a mammal receiving the food product. The physiological response increases in the production of nitric oxide over that which would be obtained by the administration of cocoa polyphenol or L-arginine or L-arginine alone. It is considered that this improved production of nitric oxide gives rise to the aforementioned health benefits associated with the production of nitric oxide. The food products and pharmaceutical compositions of this invention are useful, for example, in the modulation of vasodilatation, and are also useful with respect to the modulation of blood pressure or coronary anomalies, and the states of headache by migraine. The responses produced with the administration of the compositions of this invention include the reduction of hypertension and dilation of the blood vessels. The novel food products of this invention can be readily prepared by those skilled in the art using the teachings set forth herein. The cocoa ingredients may be prepared from cocoa seeds having a fermentation factor of less than 300 and / or from cocoa seeds having a fermentation factor of 300 or greater. The alkalized chocolate ingredients, prepared from cocoa seeds with a fermentation factor of 300 or greater can be used in combination with cocoa ingredients prepared from cocoa seeds with a fermentation factor of less than 300, The cocoa procyanidin content of the foodstuffs The cocoa base can be preserved by protecting the carbohydrate ingredient (s) and / or the milk ingredient (s) during the formulation of the food product. The ingredient (s) are protected before the addition of the chocolate ingredient (s). At least one protective ingredient selected from the group consisting of: a fat, an emulsifying agent, an antioxidant, a flavoring and mixtures thereof, is added to the ingredient (s) carbohydrate (s) and / or ingredient (s) of milk to form a first mixture. The first mix combines with the chocolate ingredient (s) to form a second mixture. The food product is formed from the second mixture. The food product can be a dessert or dietary supplement. The pastry can be dark chocolate or milk. Optionally, the carbohydrate (s) and / or milk ingredient (s) are milled to reduce the particle size before mixing with the protective ingredient. The chocolate ingredient (s) may also be ground before being combined with the first mixture of the protected carbohydrate and / or milk ingredients. Preferred fats for use as pre-treatment ingredients are cocoa butter and / or chocolate liquor which contains cocoa butter and which is prepared from cocoa seeds with a fermentation factor of 300 or greater. Preferred emulsifying agents include lecithin and / or fractionated lecithin. Antioxidants include tannins, quinones, polyhydroxy compounds, phospholipids, tocol compounds and / or derivatives thereof. Suitable flavoring agents include vanillin, species and / or citrus oils or oils of naturally expressed species. The first mixture, the chocolate ingredient (s) and / or the second mixture can be homogenized. The chocolate is heated to about 50 to about 65 ° C. During or after homogenization it is possible to add a second emulsifying agent. This second emulsifying agent can be lecithin, sucrose polyetheurate, ammonium phosphatide, polyglycerol, polyricinoleate, phosphate mono- and di-glucosides / deactyltartaric acid esters of monoglycerides and fractionated lecithin. Foodstuffs prepared with the protected carbohydrate (s) and / or milk ingredient (s) contain at least 10 to 20% by weight more cocoa procyanidins than a food product prepared by a process that does not include pre-treatment of the carbohydrate ingredient (s) and / or milk ingredient (s). The addition of L-arginine can be made to the food product by the addition of a quantity of teeth or nut meat [sic], eg, peanuts sufficient to provide the desired adjustments of the concentration of L-argillin. As already noted, a particularly preferred food product is a chocolate confection or dessert. Chocolate in chocolate confectionery contains a relatively high concentration of cocoa polyphenols. In this embodiment, the chocolate contains at least 3,600 μg, preferably at least 4,000 μg, preferably at least 4500 μg, more preferably at least 5,000 μg and, most preferably, at least 5,500 μg cocoa procyanidins per gram of chocolate, based on the total amount of non-fat cocoa solids in the product. According to a preferred embodiment, the chocolate contains at least 600 μg, preferably at least 6,500 μg, more preferably at least 7,000 μg, and more preferably at least 8,000 μg cocoa procyanidins per gram, and even more preferred 10,000 [sic] based on the non-fat solids of the cocoa in the product. Another embodiment refers to a chocolate food product consisting of a chocolate with at least 200 μg, preferably at least 225 μg, more preferably at least 275 μg, and most preferably at least 300 μg cocoa procyanidin pentamer per gram, based on the total amount of non-fat cocoa solids in the food product of chocolate. Preferably, the chocolate contains at least 325 μg, preferably at least 350 μg, more preferably at least 400 μg, and most preferably at least 450 μg of cocoa procyanidin pentamer per gram, based on the total amount of cocoa. the non-fat solids of cocoa in the chocolate food product. Still another embodiment refers to a milk chocolate dessert having at least 1000 μg, preferably at least 1200 μg, more preferably at least 1200 μg, more preferably at least 1500 μg, and, more preferably, when less 200TJ μg of cocoa polyphenols per gram, based on the total amount of non-fat cocoa solids in the milk chocolate product. In the preferred embodiment, "milk chocolate contains at least 2500 μg, preferably at least 3000 μg, more preferably at least 4000 μg, and more preferably at least 5000 μg cocoa procyanidins per gram, based on the total amount of the non-fat solids of the cocoa in the milk chocolate product In another embodiment, the food product is a milk chocolate having at least 85 μg, preferably at least 90 μg, preferably at least 100 μg , and more preferably at least 125 μg of cocoa procyanidin pentamer per gram, based on the total amount of non-fat solids of the cocoa in the milk chocolate product In a preferred embodiment, milk chocolate contains less than 150 μg, preferably at least 175 μg, more preferably at least 200 μg, and, most preferably, at least 250 μg of the cocoa procyanidin pentamer per gram, based on the amount tot to the non-fat solids of cocoa in the milk chocolate product. Chocolate-free food products will contain at least 1 μg, preferably at least 5 μg, more preferably at least 10 μg, more preferably at least 25 μg, and most preferably at least 50 μg cocoa procyanidin. If desired, food products without chocolate may contain higher concentrations of cocoa procyanidins compared to those found in the chocolate food products described above. The amount of L-arginine in food products may vary. Commonly, cocoa contains between 1 to 1.1 grams of L-arginine per 100 grams of the partially defatted cocoa solids. It can range from 0.8 to 1.5 [sic] per 100 grams of cocoa. The chocolate food products of this invention contain L-arginine in an amount greater than that found in the natural state in the cocoa ingredients. By knowing the amount of the cocoa and L-arginine ingredients used in the food product, one skilled in the art can easily determine the total amount of L-arginine in the final product. The food product will generally contain at least 1 μg, preferably at least 10 μg, or at least 100 μg, still more preferably at least 1000 μg or 5000 or 10 000 μg, and most preferably at least 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 μg of L-arginine per gram of food product. As already noted, this invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing at least one cocoa polyphenol, L-arginine and a pharmaceutically acceptable composition. The inclusion of L-arginine in amounts ranging from about 1 μg to about 10 grams per unit dose can be easily accomplished by one skilled in the art. The pharmaceutical co-uses of this invention are useful for treating mammals in need of increased nitric oxide production and the benefits that follow from this., such as reduced blood pressure.

TEST PROCEDURES ___ * It is possible to use the following procedures to quantify the amount of procyanidins and L-arginine in the different examples. Method A was used for the quantification of cocoa procyanidin amounts (total and pentamer) reported in Examples 1 through Example 3. Method B should be used for the quantification of procyanidin (total and pentamer) amounts of cocoa and cocoa. nut in the food products and food ingredients of Examples 4 to 10. Method B was used to quantify the cocoa procyanidin content of the purified cocoa procyanidin oligomers reported in Example 14 and used in the Examples 17-19. Method C should be used to extract and identify the procyanidins from nuts.

DETERMINATION OF PROCIANIDINE _ Method A The cocoa polyphenol extracts are prepared by grinding a sample of 6-7 g using a Tekmar A-10 analytical mill for 5 minutes, or, in the case of chocolate liquors, from 6-7 g of Chocolate liqueur shows no additional crushing. The sample is then transferred to a 50 ml polypropylene centrifuge tube, about 35 ml of hexane are added and the sample is vigorously stirred for one minute. The sample is centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes using an IECPR-7000 International Equipment Company centrifuge. After decanting the hexane layer, the process of extracting the fat is repeated twice more. Approximately 1 g of the defatted material is weighed in a 15 ml polypropylene centrifuge tube and 5 ml of a 70% acetone solution is added: 29.5% water: 0.5% acetic acid. The sample is vortexed for approximately 30 seconds using a "Scientific Industries Vortex Genie 2" and centrifuged at 300 rpm for 10 minutes in the IECPR-7000 centrifuge.The liquor is then filtered in a 1 ml hypovial through a filter Mi11ex-HV 0.45 μ Cocoa polyphenol extracts are analyzed using an HPLC system (Hewlett Packard 1090 series II equipped with an HP Model 1046A programmable fluorescence detector and diode array detector.) Separations are carried out at 37 ° C on a 5 μ Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si column (250 x 4.6 mm) connected to a Supelco protection column Supelguard LC-Si 5 μ (20 x 2.1 mm). The procyanidins are eluted by a linear gradient with the following conditions: (time% A,% B,% C); (0, 82, 14, 4), (30, 67.6, 28.4, 4), (60, 46, 50, 4), (65, 10, 86, 4), followed by a rebalancing of 5 minutes. The composition of. the mobile phase is: A = dichloromethane, B = methanol and C = acetic acid: water in a volume ratio of 1: 1. A flow rate of 1 ml / min is used. The components are detected by fluorescence, where? Ex = 276 pm and? Em = 316 n, or by UV 280 nm. Epicatechin is used as an external standard. HPLC conditions: Column 250 x 4.6 mm Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si (5 um); protective column 20 x 2.1 mm Supelco LC-Si (5 um) Detectors: array of photodiodes at 280 nm Fluorescence? ex = 276 nm and? e = 316 nm Flow rate: 1 ml / min Column temperature: 37 ° C .

Method B In this method monomeric and oligomeric cocoa and walnut procyanidins are quantified using a normal phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection (FLD) instead of UV detection at 280 nm. The normal phase HPLC method reported by Hammerstone et al., "Identification of Procyanidins in Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and Chocolate Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry ", J. Agrie. Food. Chems 47: 2: 490-496 (1/14/99) was used for the separation and quantification of oligomers up to the decamer. The standards of procyanidin through the decamers were obtained by extraction from cocoa seeds, enrichment by Sephadex LH-20 gel permeation chromatography, and final purification by HPLC in normal, preparative phase. The purity of each oligomeric fraction was fractionated using HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry. A composite standard was then prepared and the calibration curves for each oligomeric class were generated using a quadratic adjustment of the sum of the areas against concentration. The cocoa seeds were provided by the Admiral Center for Cocoa Studies in Itajuipe, Brazil. The reference compounds are (-) -epicatechin (Sigma Chemical, St Louis) and purified oligomers of Brazilian cocoa seeds. The cocoa procyanidins are extracted by grinding the fresh seeds in a high speed laboratory mill with liquid nitrogen until the particle size is reduced to approximately 90 μ. The lipids are removed from 220 g of the crushed seeds by extracting three times with 1000 ml of hexane. The lipid-free solids are air dried to produce approximately 100 g of the non-fat material. A fraction containing procyanidins is obtained by extracting with 1000 ml of 70% by volume of acetone in water. The suspension is centrifuged for 10 minutes at 150 g. the acetone layer is decanted through a funnel with glass wool. The aqueous acetone is then re-extracted with hexane (approximately 75 ml) to remove residual lipids. The layer of. Hexane is discarded and the aqueous acetone is evaporated by rotary evaporation with partial vacuum at 40 ° C to a final volume of 200 ml. The aqueous extract is dried by freezing to yield approximately 19 g of the acetone extract material. For the permeation chromatography on the gel, about 2 g of the acetone extract is suspended in 10 ml of 70% aqueous methanol and centrifuged at 1500 x g. The swirling envelope is semi-purified on a Sephadex LH-20 column (70 x 3 cm) that has previously been equilibrated with methanol at a flow rate of 3.5 ml / min. Two and a half hours after loading the mixture, the fractions are collected every 20 minutes and analyzed by HPLC for tepbromine and caffeine (Clapperton et al., "Polyphenoles and cocoa Flavor", Proceedings, 16th International Conference of group Polyphenols, Lisbon, Portugal, Grouppe Pblyphenols, Norbonne France, Volume II: 112-115 1992). Once the theobromine and caffeine are eluted from the column (~ 3.5 hours), the remaining eluate is collected for a further 4.5 hours and brought to the rotary evaporator under partial vacuum at 40 ° C to remove the organic solvent. The extract is then suspended in water and dried by freezing. The cocoa procyanidin oligomers are purified by preparative HPLC in normal phase. Approximately 0.7 g of the semi-purified acetone extract are dissolved in 7 ml of acetone: water: acetic acid in a volume ratio of 70: 29.5: 0.5, respectively. The separations were carried out at room temperature using 5 μ Supelcosil LC-Si 100 Á (50 x 2 cm). The procyanidins were eluted by a linear gradient under the conditions shown in the following table. The oligomeric Ips separations are monitored by UV at 280 nm and the fractions are collected in the valleys between the peaks corresponding to the oligomers. The fractions with equal retention times of the different preparative separations are combined, rotary evaporated with partial vacuum and dehydrated by freezing.

Gradient profile for normal phase, preparative HPLC For the mass spectrometry analysis of the partially purified cocoa procyanidin oligomers, the fractions purified by HPLC / mass spectrometry (MS) were analyzed using the parameters described in Lazarus et al., "High Performance Liquid Chromatrography / mass Spectrometry Analysis of Proanthocyanidins in Food Stuffs ", J. Agrie. Food Chem. (Presented in 1998). The purities of each fraction are determined by the peak area using UV detection at 280 nm in combination with the comparison of the ratio of the abundances of the ions between each oligomeric class. Reference solutions of the composite standard are made using commercially available (-) -epicatechin for monomer and purified oligomers for dimers to decamers. The oligomeric profile of the reference solution of the composite standard is shown in the following table.

Composite standard oligomeric profile The reference solutions are made in the following concentrations: 20 mg / ml, 10 mg / ml, 5 mg / ml, 2 mg / ml, 1 mg / ml, and 0.4 mg / ml. Samples of chocolate and chocolate liquors are extracted as above using only (approximately 8 g of sample) 45 ml of hexane. Approximately 1 g of the defatted material is extracted as above with 5 ml of acetone: water: acetic acid. The solids are granulated by centrifuging for 10 minutes at 1500 x g. The supernatant is then filtered through a Nicronic Nicron [sic] nylon filter in a vial for HPLC injection. All defatted samples are weighed, extracted and injected in duplicate. The fat composition of cocoa liquors and chocolates is determined using the official method of AOAC 920.177. A small modification to the sample size is necessary, which incorporates the use of 1 g for chocolate samples and 0.5 g for liquor samples. High performance liquid chromatographic analysis is performed for cocoa procyanidins using HP 1100 HPLC Series (Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto CA) equipped with an auto injector, HPLC quaternary pump, column heater, fluorescence detector and HP ChemStation for the data collection and manipulation. The detection of fluorescence is recorded at the excitation wavelength of 276 nm and emission wavelength 316 nm. Separations of the normal phases of the procyanidin oligomers are performed using a column (25 x 4.6 nm) Phenomenex (Torrance, CA) 5 μ Lichrosphere silica at 37 ° C with an injection volume of 5 μl. The ternary mobile phase consists of: A) dichloromethane, B) methanol and C) acetic acid and water) 1: 1 v / v. The separations are effected by a series of linear gradients of B in A with a constant of 4% C at a flow rate of 1 ml / min as follows: initial elution with 14% B in A; 14-28.4% B in A, 0-30 minutes; 28.4-39.2% B in A, 30-45 minutes; 39.2-B6 B in A, 45-50 minutes. The columns are re-equilibrated between the injections with an equivalent of 25 ml (10 column volumes) of the initial mobile phase.

For the quantification of cocoa procyanidins in chocolate liquors and chocolates, the calibration curves are made from the reference solutions using a quadratic adjustment for the ratio of the sum of the areas against the concentration for the corresponding peaks. to each oligomeric class.

Method C _ .. .... _. _ This method is used to determine the type of procyanidins in nuts [sic]. The monomeric and oligomeric procyanidins present in the nuts are separated by the degree of polymerization and are identified using a high resolution liquid chromatography (HPLC) method in the normal, modified phase coupled with on-line mass spectrometry (MS) analysis using a electrospray chamber by ionization at atmospheric pressure (API-ES). The raw material peanuts are provided by M &M / MARS (Hackerttstown, NJ). The almonds raw material "were provided by Almond Board of California (Modesto, CA) .The standards used are (-) -epicatechin and (+) - catechin. (Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, MO). in solid phase (SPE), (columns Supelcosil Envi-18 20 ml of Supelco, Inc.

Bellafonte, PA) are rinsed with 3 x 5 ml of methanol and then conditioned with 3 x 5 ml of water before loading the sample. After the appropriate sample loading and rinsing procedures, the columns are dried under vacuum for 1-2 minutes. The SPE column is then rinsed with 10 ml of acetone, water and acetic acid in a volume ratio of 70: 29.5: 0.5, respectively, for one minute before the procyanidins are eluted from the column. To extract the procyanidins from peanut skins, approximately 3.5 of the peanut skins are crushed in a laboratory mill before being extracted in 25 ml of acetone, water and acetic acid in a volume ratio of 70: 29.5: 0.5. The suspension is centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1500 xg and the supernatant is decanted, 20 milliliters of water are added to the supernatant before the organic solvent is removed by rotary evaporation under partial vacuum at 45 ° C to produce approximately 22 ml of the The aqueous extract (22 ml) is loaded into the preconditioned SPE column and rinsed with 40 ml of water, then the procyanidins are eluted as in the previous case.To extract the procyanidins from the peanut seed, the seed freeze in liquid nitrogen and then crushed to a powder in a laboratory mill.The seed powder (~ 10 g) is extracted three times with 45 ml of hexane to remove narrate the lipids. One gram of the resulting defatted seed is extracted with 5 ml of acetone, water and acetic acid in a volume ratio of 70: 29.5: 0.5, respectively. With the shell of the almond, approximately 24 g of the shell is removed from the raw material almonds using a razor. The shell is then defatted twice with 125 ml of hexane and centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1500 x g to produce approximately 14.6 g of the defatted material. The defatted shell is extracted with 90 ml of acetone, water and acetic acid in a volume ratio of 70 29.5: 0.5, respectively. 30 milliliters of water are added to the supernatant and the resulting acidified aqueous acetone is evaporated on a rotary evaporator with partial vacuum at 45 ° C to a final volume of 50 ml. The aqueous solution is loaded onto the preconditioned SPE column, rinsed with approximately 10 ml of water and the procyanidins are eluted as in the previous case.

HPLC / MS analyzes of the extraare performed using an HP 1100 series HPLC as described in method B above and as an interface an HP series 1100 mass selective detector (Model G1946A) equipped with an API-ES ionization chamber. The absorbing reagent is added through a T in the stream of the HPLC eluent just before the mass spectrometer and sent with an HP 1100 HPLC series pump by diverting the degasser. The conditions for analysis in the negative ion mode include ~ 0.75 M ammonium hydroxide as the buffer reagent at a flow rate -of 0.04 ml / min, a capillary voltage of 3 kV, the fragmenter at 75 V, a pressure of nebulization of 25 psig and temperature of the drying gas at 350 ° C. The data is collected in an HP ChemStation using the scanning and monitoring mode of the selected ion. The spectra are digitized over a mass range of m / z 100-3000 to 1.96 s per cycle. The mass spectral data of the ions of the. almond shells indicate the presence of procyanidin oligomers with a single bond up to heptamers, while mass spectrum data for peanut skins indicate oligomers with single and double bonds up to octamers. No procyanidins were detected in the peanut seed.

DETERMINATION OF L-ARGININE CONTENT L-arginine is determined using the procedure reported in the official method (AOAC 982.30, the official AOAC methods of the 1995 analysis), Vitamins and other Nutrients, chapter 45, p. 59-61. The sample is hydrolysed with acid and each of three hydrolysates is analyzed using the optimal parameters for the amino acid analyzer used. At least every 24 hours a reference solution of L-arginine is used to calibrate the analyzer. Nitrogen is determined by the official method AOAC 955.04C, 920.39A, 976.05 A, or other suitable Kjidahl [sic] method. The uncorrected g / 16 g / N are calculated according to: g L-arginine (N in 16 g of the uncorrected sample = (n moles L-arginine x initial sample volume (ml) x PM L-arginine) / (sample volume injected (ml) x sample weight (g) x% N for sample x 6.25 x 105) Acid hydrolysis is performed by placing approximately 0.1 g (the weight at 0.1 mg precision) of the sample in a hydrolysis tube, adding 10 ml of Hl [sic] 6N, and mixing.The mixture is frozen in a dry ice-alcohol bath.A vacuum is extracted from <; 50u and left for one minute and the tube sealed under vacuum. The sample is hydrolyzed for 24 hours at 110 + 1 [sic]. The tube cools and opens. The hydrolyzate is filtered through Whitman [sic] No. 1 paper. The tube is rinsed three times with water and each rinsing is filtered. The filtrate is dried at 65 ° C in vacuo. The dry hydrolyzate is dissolved in a suitable buffer volume for the amino acid analyzer. The hydrolyzate can not be stored for more than a week before using analyzed [sic].

EXAMPLES __ The following examples are proposed as an illustration of certain preferred embodiments of the invention, and do not imply limitation of the invention. The isolated cocoa procyanidin oligomers used in this Example 17, 18 and 19 were isolated using the procedure described. described in U.S. 5,554,645 (published: 9/10/96 by L. Romanczyk et al.), and also purified using the method of Method B.

EXAMPLE 1 Cocoa Polyphenol Obtaining Method Cocoa Seed Cocoa Solids Commercial cocoa seeds with an initial moisture content of about 7 to 8% by weight were previously cleaned using an 11"x 56" Scalperator (manufactured by Cárter Day International, Minneapolis, MN USA). Approximately 600 bags of cocoa seeds (39,000 kg) were previously cleaned for 6.5 hours. The seeds were fed to an inlet hopper where the flow rate was regulated by a positive feed roller. The seeds were fed to the outside of a wire mesh rotary scalpel roll. The seeds were passed through the wire mesh roller and subsequently through an air aspiration chamber where the impurities powders and light strands were sucked out of the product stream. The seeds that did not pass through the scalping roller were transported to a reject stream. This rejection current consisted of agglomerated seeds, splinters, stones, etc. The amount of the resulting rejection was approximately 150 kg, or 0.38% of the initial material. The resulting previously cleaned product weighed approximately 38,850 kg and went on to the stof cleaning the seeds. The previously cleaned seed products from the Scalperator were then cleaned again using an International Air Beds SV4-5 fluidized bed density separator (AFBDS, manufactured by Camas International Pocotello, ID, USA). Approximately 38,850 kg of the cocoa seed products were fed to the AFBDS for a time of approximately 6.5 hours. The device eliminated virtually all heavy impurities such as stones, metal, glass, etc., from the seeds, as well as lighter unusable materials such as mud and cocoa infested seeds giving rise to a clean seed product that contained practically only seeds of useful cocoa. The resultant heavy impurities removed weighed approximately 50 kg and the unusable lightweight materials weighed approximately 151 kg. A total of approximately 38, 649 kg of clean seeds was obtained after both pre-cleaning and cleaning steps described here (99.1% yield after cleaning). The clean cocoa seeds were then passed through an infrared heating apparatus. The apparatus used was the Micro Red 20 electric infrared vibration micronizer (manufactured by Micronizing Company (U.K.) Limited, U.K.). The micronizer was operated at a rate of approximately 1701 kg per hour. The depth of the seeds in the vibrating bed of the micronizer was approximately 5 cm (2 inches) to approximately 2-3 seeds deep.The surface temperature of the micronizer was set at approximately 165 ° C, resulting in an IBT of approximately 135 ° C. For a time in the range from 1 to 1.5 minutes, this treatment caused the husks to dry quickly and to separate from the cocoa tooth, since practically all the seeds fed to the micronizer were complete seeds and were practically free of small broken pieces. the seeds or shells, no sparks or fires were observed during the heating step with the infrared.The broken pieces separated by the vibrating sieve prior to the micronizer were reintroduced into the product stream before the step was shaken.

The seeds of the micronizer had a moisture content of approximately 3.9% by weight. The seeds left the micronizer at an IBT of about 135 ° C and were immediately cooled to a temperature of about 90 ° C in about 3 minutes to minimize the additional moisture loss. The total seeds available after the heating step were approximately 36,137 kg. The seeds were then subjected to shaking using a Jupiter Mitra Seita winnower (manufactured by Jupiter Mitra Seita, Jakarta, Indonesia). The shaking step broke the seeds to release the husks and separate the lighter shells from the teeth while at the same time minimizing the amount of missing teeth with the shell rejected. The feeding speed in the shaker was approximately 1591 kg per hour. The resulting products included approximately 31,8861 kg of usable teeth and 4,276 kg of rejected peels. The total yield of usable teeth of the initial material was approximately 81.7%. The resulting cocoa teeth were compressed using a Dupps 10-6 processor (manufactured by the company Dupps Company, Germantown, Ohio, USA). A constant feeding of approximately 1402 kg per hour of the teeth was fed in two-screw presses to extract the lard. The press produced approximately 16,198 kg of cocoa butter containing about 10% cocoa solids and approximately 15,663 kg of cocoa solids containing * about 10% butter. The cocoa butter was also processed using a Sharples P3000 decanting centrifuge (manufactured by Jenkins Centrifuge Rebuilders, N. Kansas City, MO USA). The centrifugation reduced the solids content in the lard to approximately 1-2% solids and provided about 13,606 kg of butter and 2,592 kg of cocoa solids containing about 40 to 45% butter. The butter containing 1-2% solids was also processed using a plate and frame filter (manufactured by Jupiter Mitra Seita) that removed the remaining solids from the lard and provided about 13,271 kg of clean cocoa butter and about 335 kg of cocoa solids containing 40-45% butter. The cocoa solids separated from the centrifuge and the filter press contained about 40-45% fat and were compressed in a hydraulic press in batches to produce 10% of the cocoa fat cake. This material produces approximately 1,186 kg of clean butter and 1,742 kg of cocoa solids. The total yield of clean butter from the incoming seeds was 14.456 kg or 37.1%. The total cocoa solids produced from the incoming seeds was 17,405 kg or 44.6%. A sample of the cocoa powder of the partially defatted cocoa solids produced according to the process described above from incompletely fermented cocoa seeds (fermentation factor 100), contained the following concentrations of procyanidin: total procyanidin 32,743 μg / g, procyanidin 9,433 μg / g, procyanidinium dimer 5,929 μg / g, procyanidinium trimer 5,356 μg / g, procyanidin tetramer 4,027 μg / g, procyanidin pentamer 3,168 μg / g, procyanidin hexane 2,131 μg / g, heptamer of procyanidin 1.304 μg7g, octamer of procyanidin 739 μg / g, nonamer of procyanidin 439 μg / g.

Example 2 Production of chocolate liquor with cocoa polyphenols content Sulawesi cocoa seeds with a good quality average (FAQ) and with an initial moisture content of 7.4% by weight and a fermentation factor level of 233 (31%) slate color, 29% purple, 22% coffee purple and 17% coffee) were selected as the initial material. Subsequently, the cocoa seeds were passed through an infrared heating device. The apparatus used was an infrared vibration micronizer (manufactured by Micronizer Company (U.K.) Limited, U. K.). The rate of seed feeding through the infrared heater and the angle of the infrared heater bed varied to control the amount of heat treatment the seeds received. The time that the seeds spent in the infrared heater (residence time) was determined by the angle of the bed and the feeding speed. The times used to prepare the materials are mentioned in Table 1 below. At the exit of the micronizer, the internal temperature of the seeds (IBT) was measured, these values are also shown in Table 1. 1 kg of sample of the seeds heated in infrared, collected at the output of the infrared heater at different IBT They were crushed into smaller pieces. This was done to facilitate separation of the tooth from the shell. The laboratory equipment used to separate the shell was the Limiprimita Cocoa Breaker made by the John Gordon Co. LTD of England. The crushed seeds were then passed through a laboratory-scale shaking system, using a CC-1 Taster manufactured by the John Gordon Co. LTD, England. The cocoa teeth were then ground into a coarse liquor using a Melange made by Pascall Engineering Co. LTD, England. This device crushes and grinds the teeth to a chocolate liqueur. The normal operating temperature for the liquor in ~ the Melange is approximately 50 ° C. This same process to manufacture the teeth to a thick liquor can be done at a higher production scale using other types of mills, such as the Carie &; Montanari Mili. The cocoa teeth were crushed in the Melange for one hour. The concentration of cocoa procyanidins was measured for the samples in relation to the temperatures heated with infrared. These values are given in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 EXAMPLE 3 Chocolate Food Product A 5 kg (10 Ib) Sigma blade mixer (manufactured by Teledyne Read Co., York, Pennsylvania) was used to mix the ingredients within the concentration ranges set forth below. The selection of the right ingredients and the amounts within the given range to prepare a chocolate JLa performs. easily the person skilled in the art, without undue experimentation.

Ingredient% concentration (by weight) Sucrose 40% Chocolate liquor 7% CP liquor (Example 2) 49% Fat 3.5% Lecithin 0.5% The lecithin and fat were combined and mixed, using a 5 kg Sigma knife mixer (10 Ib) until homogenization. The resulting fat / lecithin mixture was added to the granulated sucrose in a second 5 kg Sigma mixer. Sucrose, fat and lecithin were mixed at about 35 ° C to about 90 ° C until homogeneous. The remaining ingredients, including the chocolate liquor of Example 2 with a high concentration of cocoa procyanidins, were added and mixed until homogeneous. The resulting mixture was refined to a micron particle size of about 20 microns, homogenized, normalized. The cocoa procyanidin pentamer concentration of the resulting chocolate ranged from about 385 to 472 μg per gram of chocolate. The peanuts, in an amount of about 5-20% by weight of the final product are added to form a peanut product containing chocolate with a high content of cocoa procyanidins and L-arginine.

Example 4 Food product with peanut butter Pre-roasted peanuts are crushed with the addition of salt and sugar as needed to form peanut butter. With the mixer, the cocoa powder of Example 1 having a high cocoa procyanidin content is added to the mixture in an amount of about 2 to 3% by weight of the total mixture. The product is a peanut butter that contains cocoa polyphenols and L-arginine.

Example 5 Pharmaceutical composition __ A tablet mixture is prepared which is composed of the following ingredients (the percentages are expressed as percent by weight): Cocoa powder of Example 1 -24.0% L-arginine - 5.0% Natural vanilla extract - 1.5% Magnesium stearate (lubricant) - 0.5% Sugar for tableting Dipac - _-32.0% Xylitol -37.0% The cocoa powder, the vanilla extract and L-arginine are mixed together in a food processor during. some minutes The sugars and the magnesium stearate are gently mixed together, followed by mixing with the cocoa powder / vanilla extract / L-arginine in the mixture. This material is processed through a Manesty tablet press (B3B) at a maximum pressure and compaction to produce round tablets (15 mm x 5 mm) with a weight of 1.5 to 1.8 grams.

EXAMPLE 6 Dark Chocolate A dark chocolate is prepared in the manner practically similar to the process described in Example 3, using the following general recipe: Ingredient range (% by weight) 15-35% sucrose 40-75% CP liquor from Example 2 1-10% CP cocoa powder from Example 1 1-10% fat 0.01-0.05% vanillin 0.1-1.0% of lecithin Peanuts in an amount of about 5 to 30% by weight of the total product are added to dark chocolate.

Example 7 Milk chocolate __ _ A milk chocolate is prepared in a manner practically equal to the process described in the Example. 3, using the following general recipe: Interval of ingredients (% by weight) 35-55% of sucrose 12-25% of the milk ingredient 10-20% of CP liquor of Example 2 15-25% of fat 0.1-1.0% of emulsifier Almonds are added to chocolate an amount of about 5 to 30% by weight of the total product.

Example 8 Peanut Butter - soy biscuit bar wrapped with dark chocolate with high CP -Ingredient% Interval Dark chocolate 3.4 mg per g chocolate 35 30-40 Peanuts 32 30-40 Soy flour, low fat 11 10-15 Vegetable oil 5 2-10 Sugar 15 10-20 Water 1.5 Salt < 1 Candy syrup solution < 1 Baking soda < 1 Propyl stick < 1 The butter or peanut butter is prepared by combining peanuts, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and propyl gallate. The cookie is prepared by combining the soy flour, water, vegetable oil and baking soda, and baked. The peanut butter is then extruded over the baked cookies and then the whole bar is covered with dark chocolate with high CP content. Based on the content of cocoa procyanidin, walnut procyanidins and arginine of the ingredients of the recipe, the theoretical concentrations of procyanidin and arginine are shown as follows: Total procyanidins 120 mg / 100 g Arginine 1.4 g / 100 g EXAMPLE 9 Powdered Mixture for Cocoa Content Drinking with High CP and L-Arginine A powder drink mixture containing the cocoa powder of Example 1 with improved levels of cocoa polyphenols (CP) and L-arginine is made according to the following formulations: Ingredient% Sugar 59 Skim milk powder 20 Powder malt 1.9 Cocoa powder CP 25-50 mg / g cocoa powder 8.0 Peanut flour 10.0 Vanillin < 0.01 Lecithin < 0.995 Salt < 0.1 Flavoring < 0.1 The anhydrous ingredients are processed in batches according to the previous formulation and mixed for one hour in a Kitchen Aid Professional mixer (Model KSM50P) using a wire whip at speed # 2. The lecithin is agglomerated before its use in the recipe in a Niro-Aeromatic Agglomerator (Model STREA / 1). _ _ Based on the content of cocoa procyanidin, walnut procyanidin and arginine of the ingredients of the recipe, the concentrations Theoretical procyanidin and L-arginine are shown below: Procyanidins 200-400 mg / lOOg L-arginine 0.9 g / 100 g Example 10 Nut bar and seeds with cocoa extract Almonds 30 Pumpkin seeds 12 Sunflower seeds 5 Sesame seeds 5 Salt < 1 Butter 10 Corn syrup 7.6 Lecithin < 1 Sugar 26 Cacao extract 4 Almonds are lightly roasted in salted butter. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are also added. The butter, corn syrup, lecithin and salt are combined and heated in a potent microwave for one minute. The sugar is placed in a stainless steel pan and cooked in an oven by induction at full power. When the sugar almost melts, the heat is reduced to the average power (161 ° C, 290 ° F) and the Sugar is cooked until it "melts completely and has honey color." When the sugar is completely melted, slowly add it to the corn syrup / butter mixture and mix it in. The nut mixture is placed on a table, the syrup Pour carefully over the walnut mixture with the shovel at slow speed.The nut / syrup mixture is formed into sticks and cooled.Following the content of cocoa procyanidin, walnut procyanidin and arginine from the ingredients of the recipe, The theoretical concentrations of procyanidin and arginine are shown as follows: Procyanidins 1586 mg / 100 g ~~ Arginine 1.6 g / 100 g Example 11 Peanut, caramel and nougat bar wrapped in dark __ chocolate with high CP content % dark chocolate formula CP 31.5 Peanuts with skins 30.0 Caramel 27.0 Nougat 11.5 A nougat mixture containing 45% peanut is prepared and distributed on a cooling table and cut into rectangular bars. A mixture of caramel containing about 38% peanut is prepared, cooled and cut into similar pieces. The nougat is covered with the pieces of caramel and the whole bar is wrapped in chocolate containing about 10% peanut. Based on the cocoa procyanidin, walnut procyanidin and arginine content of the ingredients in the recipe, the theoretical concentration of pro-thiazidine and L-arginine is shown as follows: Procyanidins - 260 mg / l00 g Arginine l g / lOO g Example 12 Cocoa source and method of preparation Several genotypes of Theobroma cacao representing the three recognized horticultural varieties of cocoa (Enriquez, 1967; Engels, 1981) were obtained from the three main cocoa producing regions of the world. A list of these genotypes is shown in Table 2. Other species of Theobroma cacao and its closely related genus Herranina will also be useful for use in the present.

TABLE 2 Description of the source material of Theobroma cacao The pods harvested from the cocoa were opened and the incompletely fermented seeds with the pulp were separated and dried by freezing. The pulp was separated manually. The seeds were manually dehusked and crushed to a fine powder mass with a TEKMAR mill. The resulting mass was then defatted overnight by Soxhlet extraction using redistilled hexane as the solvent. The residual solvent was removed from the defatted mass under vacuum at room temperature. • Example 12 Procyanidin extraction procedures A. Method 1 The procyanidins were extracted from the defatted, non-fermented, freeze-dried cocoa seeds of Example 11 using a modification of the method described by Jalal and Collin (1977). The procyanidins were extracted from batches of 50 grams of the defatted cocoa mass with 2400 ml of 70% acetone. in deionized water followed by 400 ml of 70% methanol in deionized water. The extracts were combined and the solvents removed by evaporation at 45 ° C with a rotary evaporator. maintained with partial vacuum. The resulting aqueous phase was diluted to 1 with deionized water and extracted twice with CHCl3 400 ml. The solvent phase was discarded. The aqueous phase was then extracted four times with 500 ml ethyl acetate. The resulting emulsions were separated by "centrifugation in a Sorvall RC 28S centrifuge operated at 2000 xg for 30 minutes at 10 ° C with a rotary evaporator which was kept in partial vacuum.The resulting aqueous phase was frozen in liquid N 2, followed by the dehydrated by freezing in a LABCONCO freeze drying system The yields of the crude procyanidins obtained from the different cocoa genotypes are mentioned in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Raw procyanidin yields Method 2 Otherwise, the procyanidins are extracted from the defatted cocoa seeds, incompletely fermented, dried by freezing Example 1 with 70% aqueous acetone. 10 grams of the defatted material was suspended with 100 ml of solvent for 5-10 minutes. The slurry was centrifuged for 15 minutes at 4 ° C to 3000 by gravity and the supernatant passed through glass wool. The filtrate was subjected to partial vacuum distillation and the resulting aqueous phase was frozen in the liquid, followed by freeze drying in a LABCONCO freeze drying system. The yields of crude procyanidins ranged from 15-20%. ~~ It is considered that the differences in the raw yields reflected the variations found with the. different genotypes, the geographical origin, the horticultural race and the method of preparation.

EXAMPLE 13 Partial Purification of Cocoa Procyanidins A. Gel Permeation Chromatography The procyanidins obtained from Example 12 were partially purified by liquid chromatography in Sephadex LH-20 (28 x 2.5 cm). The separations were carried out by a deionized water gradient in methanol.

The composition of the initial gradient was started with 15% methanol in deionized water which was followed step by step every 30 minutes with 25% methanol in deionized water, 35% methanol in deionized water, 70% methanol in deionized water, and last 100% methanol. The effluent after the elution of the xanthine alkaloids (caffeine and theobromine) was collected as a single fraction. The fraction produced a subfraction without xanthine alkaloid-which was subjected to another sub-fractionation to produce five subfractions called MM2A up to MM2E. The solvent was removed from each subfraction by evaporation at 45 ° C with a rotary evaporator which was kept in partial vacuum. The resulting aqueous phase was frozen in liquid N and dried by freezing overnight in a LABCONCO freeze drying system. A representative gel permeation chromatogram showing fractionation is shown in Figure 2. Approximately 100 mg of material was subfractioned in this way. Chromatographic conditions: column: 28 x 2.5 cm Sephadex LH-20, mobile phase: methanol / water in gradient, 15:85, 25:75, 35:65, 70:30, 100: 0 in steps at half hour intervals. Flow rate: 1.5 ml / min, detector: UV a? I = 264 nm and? 2 = 365 nm, graph speed: 9.5 mm / min, column load: 120 mg. I B. High-performance, preparative liquid chromatography (HPLC) _ _ Method 1. Reverse phase separation The procyanidins obtained from Example 2 / or 3A were partially purified by semi-preparative HPLC. A Hewlett Packard 1050 HPLC System equipped with a variable length detector, Rheodyne 7010 injection valve with 1 ml injection circuit was assembled with a Pharmacia FRAC-100 fraction collector. The separations were carried out on a Phenomenex Ultracarb® 10 μ ODS (250 x 22.5 mm) column connected to a Phenomenex 10 μ ODS Ultracarb® protection column (60 x 10 mm). The composition of the mobile phase was A = water, B = methanol used with the following conditions of the linear gradient: [time,% A]; (0.85), (60, 509, (90, 0) and (110, 0) at a flow rate of 5 ml / min.The compounds were detected by UV at 254 nm.A representative semi-preparative HPLC screening was shown in Figure 15N for the separation of the "procyanidins present in the D + E fraction. The individual peaks or chromatographic regions selected were collected in time intervals or manually by fraction collection for further purification and subsequent evaluation. Injection covered from 25-100 mg of the material.

Method 2. Normal phase separation The procyanidin extracts obtained from Examples 2 and / or 3A were partially purified by semi-preparative HPLC. A Hewlett Packard 1050 HPLC system, Millipore-Waters Model 1480 LC detector set at 254 nm was assembled with a Pharmacia Frac-100 fraction collector set to maximum mode. The separations were carried out on a Supelco 5 μm Supelcosil LC-Si (250 x 10 mm) column connected with a Supelco 5 μm Supelguard LC-Si protection column (20 x 4.6 mm). The procyanidins were eluted by a linear gradient under the following conditions: (time,% A,% B); (0, 84, 14), (30, 67.6, 28.4), (60, 46, 50), (65, 46, 50), (65, 10, 86), (70, 10, 86) followed by a 10-minute re-balancing. The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane; B = methanol; and C = acetic acid: water (1: 1). A flow rate of 3 ml / min was used. The components were detected by UV at 254 nm, and recorded on a Kipp% Zonan BD41 recorder. The injection volumes ranged from 100-250 μl of 10 mg of the procyanidin extracts dissolved in 0.25 ml of 70% aqueous acetone. A representative, semi-preparative HPLC trace is shown in Figure 2. Individual peaks or selected chromatographic regions were collected at time intervals or manually by fraction collection for further purification and subsequent evaluation. HPLC conditions: column 250 x 10 mm Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si (5 m semipreparative Column 20 x 4.6 mm Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si (5 μm) Detector: Waters LC Spectrophotometer Model _ 480 @ 254_ nm Flow rate: 3 ml / min Column temperature: environment Injection: 250 μl of extract in 70% aqueous acetone EXAMPLE 14 Purification Methods by HPLC Method A. Purification by GPC __ _ ___ The procyanidins obtained as in Example 12 were partially purified by liquid chromatography on Sephadex LH 20 (72.5 x 2.5 cm), using 100% methanol as the eluting solvent , at a flow rate of 3.5 ml / min. The fractions of the eluent were collected after the first 1.5 hours, and the fractions were concentrated by a rotary evaporator, redissolved in water and freeze-dried. These fractions were referred to as the enriched fractions of the pentamer. Approximately 2.00 g of the extract obtained from Example 2 was sub-divided in this way. The results are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Composition of the fractions obtained ND = not detected tr = number of traces Method B. Separation in normal phase The procyanidins obtained as Example 12 were separated, purified by normal phase chromatography on Supelcosil LS-Si, 100 A, 5 μm (250 x 4.6 mm), at a flow rate of 1.0 ml / min, or, in the alternative, Lichrosphere ° Silica 100, 100 Á, 5 μm (235 x 3.2 mm), at a flow rate of 0.5 ml / min. The separations were aided by a gradient in steps with the following conditions: (time,% A,% B); (0, 82, 14), (30, 67.6, 28.4), (60, 46, 50), (65, 10, 86), (70, 10, 86). The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane; B = methanol and C = acetic acid water (1: 1). The components were detected by fluorescence, where? Ex = 276 nm and? Em = 316 nm, and by UV at 280 nm. The injection volume was 5.0 μl (20 mg / ml) of the procyanidins obtained from Example 2.

These results are shown in Figure 4a and 4B. In the alternative, the separations were aided by a gradient in steps with the following conditions: (time,% A,% B); (0, 76, 20); (25, 46, 50); (30, 10, 86). The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane; B = methanol; and C = acetic acid water (1; 1). The results are shown in Figure 4A and 4B.

Method C. Reverse Phase Separation _ __ The procyanidins obtained as in Example 12 were separated and purified by reverse phase chromatography on a Hewlett Packard Hypersil ODS 5 μm column (200 x 2.1 mm), and Hewlett Packard Hypersil ODS 5 μm as protection column (20 x 2.1 mm). The procyanidins were eluted with a linear gradient of 20% B in A at 2 £) minutes, followed by a column wash with 100% B at a flow rate of 9.3 ml / min. The composition of the mobile phase was a degassed mixture of B = 1.0% acetic acid in methanol and A = 2.0% acetic acid in nanopure water. The components were detected by UV at 280 nm and fluorescence where? Ex = 276 nm and? Em = 316 nm; the injection volume was 2.0 μl (20 mg / ml).

Example 15 HPLC separation of the enriched fractions of the pentamer _ _ _ Method A. HPLC in semi-preparative normal phase _ __ The fractions enriched with the pentamer were further purified by HPLC in normal, semipreparative phase using a Hewlett Packard 1050 HPLC system equipped with a Millipore-Waters Model 480 LC detector set at 254 nm which was assembled with a fraction collector Pharmacia Frac-100 set to a peak mode. The separations were carried out on a Supelco 5 m Supelcosel LC-Si column, 100 Á (250 x 10 mm) connected to a Supelco 5 Supelguard LC-Si protection column (20 x 4.6 mm). The prcscianidines were eluted by a linear gradient under the following conditions: (time,% A,% B): (0, 82, 14), (30, 67.6, 28.4), (60, 46, 50), (65, 10, 86), (70, 10, 86) followed by a 10 minute re-equilibration. The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane; B = methanol and C = acetic acid: water (1: 1). The flow rate was 3 ml / min. The components were detected by UV at 254 nm and recorded on a Kipp & Zonan BD41. The injection volumes ranged from 100-250 μl of 10 mg of procyanidin extracts dissolved in 0.25 ml of 70% aqueous acetone. The individual peaks or chromatographic regions selected were collected in time intervals or manually by collection of fractions for further purification and subsequent evaluation. HPLC conditions: column of 250 x ~ "100 Tnm Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si (5 μm) Protective column of 20 x 4.6 mm Supelco Supelcosil LC-Si _5 μm) Detector: waters LC Spectrophotometer Model 480 @ 254 nm Flow rates : 3 ml / min Column temperature: environment Injection: 250 μl of pentamer enriched extract Method B. Reversed Phase Separation - _____ The procyanidin extracts obtained as in Example 15 were filtered through a Q.45 μ nylon filter and analyzed by the Hewlett Packard 1090 HPLC system in ternary phase equipped with an array detector of diodes and a programmable fluorescence detector HP model 1046A. The separations were carried out at 45 ° C on a Hewlett Packard 5 μ Hypersil ODS column (200 x 2.1 mm). The procyanidins were eluted with a linear gradient of 60% B in A followed by a column wash with B at a flow rate of 0.3 ml / min. The composition of the mobile phase was a degassed mixture of B = 0.5% acetic acid in methanol and A = 0.5% acetic acid in nanopure water. The concentrations of acetic acid in mobile phases A and B may increase to 2%. The components were detected by fluorescence, where? Ex = 276 nm and? _m = 316 nm, and by UV at 280 nm. The concentrations of (+) - catechin and (-) - epicatechin were determined in relation to the normal reference solutions. The procyanidin concentrations were calculated using the response factor for (-) - epicatechin.

Method C. Separation in normal phase __ _ The pentamer-enriched procyanidin extracts obtained as in Example 15 were filtered through a 9.45 μ nylon filter and analyzed by a system Hewlett Packard 1090 Series II HPLC equipped with a HP Model 1046A programmable fluorescence detector and diode array detector. The separations were carried out at 37 ° C on a Phenomenex Lichrosphere0 Silica 100 5 μ (250 x 3.2 mm) column connected to a Supelco Supelguard LC-Si 5 μ (20 x 4.6 mm) protective column. The procyanidins were "eluted by the linear gradient under the following conditions: (time,% A,% B); (0, 82, 14), (30, 67.6, 28.4), (60, 46, 50), (65 , 10, 86), (7, 10, 86), followed by an 8-minute re-equilibration The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane, B = methanol and C = acetic acid: water at a volume ratio of 1: 1. The flow rate was 0.5 ml / min The components were detected by fluorescence, where? ex = 276 nm and? _? _ = 316 nm or by UV at 280 nm. A representative HPLC chromatogram showing the separation of the different procyanidins is shown in Figure 4 for a genotype. Similar HPLC profiles were obtained from other Theobroma, Herran a and / or their inter or intraspecific crosses. __ HPLC conditions: Column 250 x 3.2 mm henomenex Lichrosphere0 Silica 100 (5 μ), 20 x 4.6 mm Supelco Supelguard LC-Si (5 μ) protective column Detectors: arrangement of photodiodes @ 280 nm Fluorescence? Ex = 276 nm and ? em = 316 nm Flow rate: 9/5 ml / min Column temperature: 37 ° C __ Acetic acid: Method D. Separation in preparative normal phase The fractions enriched with the pentamer obtained in Example 5 were further purified by preparative, normal phase chromatography by modifying the method of Riguad et al., (J. Chrom. 654: 255-260. The separations were carried out at ambient temperature in a 5 μm Supelcosil LS-Si 100 Á column (50 x 2 cm) with a suitable protection column.The procyanidins were eluted by a linear gradient with the following conditions: % A.% B flow rate): (0, 92.5, 7.5, 10); (10, 95.5, 7.5, 40); (30, 91.5, 18.5, 40); (145, 88, 22, 40); (150, 24, 86, 40); (155, 24, 86, 50); (180, 0, 100, 50) Before its use, the "components of the mobile phase were mixed by the following protocol: Preparation of solvent A (82% CH2C12, 14% methanol, 2% acetic acid, 2% water) 1. Measure 80 ml of water and empty to a 4 1 bottle. 2. Measure 80 ml of water and empty to the same bottle of 4 1. 3. Measure 560 ml of methanol and empty to the same bottle of 4 1. 4. Measure 3280 ml methylene chloride and empty to the same bottle of 41. "" 5. Cover the bottle and mix well. 6. Purge the mixture with high purity helium for 5-10 minutes to degas. Repeat steps 1-6 twice to produce: 8_ volumes of solvent A. Preparation of solvent B (96% methanol, 2% acetic acid, 2% water): 1. Measure 80 ml of water and empty to a 4 1 bottle. 2. Measure 80 ml of acetic acid and empty to the same bottle of -4 1. 3. Measure 3840 ml of methanol and empty to the same bottle of 4 1. 4. Cover the bottle and mix well. 5. Purge the mixture with high purity helium for 5-10 minutes to degas. _____ Repeat steps 1-5 to produce 4 volumes of solvent B. The composition of the mobile phase was A = methylene chloride with 2% acetic acid and 2% water; B = methanol with 2% acetic acid and 2% water. The column loading was 0.7 g in 7 ml. The components were detected. by ÜV "at 254 nm A common separation by preparative, normal-phase HPLC of cocoa procyanidins is" shown in Figure 5. HPLC conditions: Column: 50 x 2 cm 5 μ Supercosil LC-Si process @ room temperature Mobile phase: A = methylene chloride with acetic acid 2% and 2% water B = methanol with 2% acetic acid and 2% water.

Gradient / flow profile Example 16 Purification of the oligomeric fractions Method A. Purification by reverse phase, semipreparative HPLC The procyanidins obtained from Example 15, methods A and B and D, were further separated to obtain experimental quantities of the oligomers. A _Hewlett Packard 1050 HPLC system equipped with a variable wavelength detector, Rheodyna 7010 injection valve with Iml injection circuit was assembled with a Pharmacia FRAC-100 fraction collector. Separations were performed on a Phenomenex Ultracarb0 10 μ ODS (250 x 22.5 mm) column connected to a Phenomenex 10 μ ODS Ultracarb0 protection column (60 x 10 mm). The composition of the mobile phase was A = water; B = methanol used with the following linear gradient conditions: (time: _% A); (O 85), (60, 50) ', (90, 0) and (110, 0) at a flow rate of 5 ml / min. The individual peaks or selected chromatographic regions were collected at time intervals or manually by collection by fractions for further evaluation by means of MADLY-OF / MS and NKr. The injection charges ranged from 25-100 mg of material. The representative elusion profile is shown in Figure "" 6A.

Method B. Modified semipreparative HPLC The procyanidins obtained from Example 15, Methods A and B and D were further separated to obtain experimental amounts of the same oligomers or other identification and structural elucidation (eg example 15, 18, 19 and 20) . Supelcosil LC-Si column 5μ (250 x 10 mm) with Supelcosil LC-Si protection column 5 μ (20 x 2 mm). The separations were carried out at a flow rate of 3.0 ml / min, at room temperature. The composition of the mobile phase was A = dichloromethane; B = methanol and C = acetic acid: water (1: 1); used with the following linear salient conditions: (time,% A,% B); (0, 82, 14), (22, 74, 21), (60, 74, 21); (60, 74, 50, 4); (61, 82, 14), followed by re-equilibration of the column for 7 minutes. The injection volumes were 60 μl containing 12 mg of the enriched pentamer. The components were detected by UV at 280 nm. The representative elusion profile is shown in Figure 6B.

Example 17 Evaluation of Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity The medium used was Medium 200 (Cascade Biologics Inc.) supplemented with Low Serum Growth Supplement (Cascade Biologics Inc.) and 20% fetal bovine serum (DAP).

The cocoa procyanidins evaluated were the monomer, dimer, trimer, tetramer, pentamer and epicatechin heptamer. The nitrite contents of the cocoa procyanidins were evaluated. At the maximum concentration used (100 μg / ml), no nitrite was detected. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were acquired in a primary culture stage from Cascade Biologics Inc. (Portland). Cells were cultured in medium supplemented with Low Serum Growth Supplement (LSGS) and 20% fetal bovine serum (FCS) in 75 cm2 flasks. The cells were seeded for one week after treatment with trypsin-EDTA (2 ml / flask) at 37 ° C under a 5% C02 atmosphere. The trypsin was neutralized with the addition of 3 ml. FCS. The cell suspension was centrifuged for 10 minutes at 1200 rpm and the cell pack was resuspended in the culture medium described above. The activity of nitric oxide synthase was evaluated by measuring the nitrite concentration in the culture medium. The HUVECs were used between step 2 to 13. The cells were cultured in 24-well culture plates at the concentration of 5 x 10 5 cells ml [sic] in Medium 200 containing LSGS (300 μi per well), and 20% CS . After an incubation period of 24 to 48 hours at 37 ° C under an atmosphere of 5% C02, the cells were used confluent (2.5 x 10 cells). The medium was separated and fresh medium was added. The cocoa procyanidin monomer and oligomers were added to the culture medium at 100 μg / ml, 10 μg / ml or 1 μg / ml (final concentration). The controls consist of. Cultured cells without procyanidins. The reference compounds included acetylcholine, ionomycin (simulator of NO synthase through calcium entry), lipopolysaccharide (inducer of NO synthase), and N-methyl L-arginine acetate (inhibitor of NO synthase). The reference compounds were used to demonstrate the production of nitrite from the synthesis of endothelial NO. The production of NO was calculated by "measuring the nitrite concentration (N02) in culture supernatants according to the Griess reaction." In summary, 50 μl of the conditional medium were incubated with 150 μl of the Griess reagent (1% sulanilamide in 30% acetic acid / 0.1% N- (1-naphthyl) -ethylenediamine dihydrochloride in 60% acetic acid) at room temperature for two minutes The absorbance at 540 nm was determined in a Labsystems MCC / 340 multiskan The nitrite concentration was determined using sodium nitrite as standard and analyzed using the program? SOFT 2.12 The medium without cells and 100 μg / ml procyanidins did not contain detectable nitrite concentrations.

Data without processing1: Showing the effect of the. cocoa procyanidins on the production of nitric oxide by HUVEC (13 experiments) (continuation) 1 The results were expressed as μmol of nitrite / 106 cells / 48 h Unstimulated HUVEC produced 2.6 ± 0.3 μM of NO during the incubation period of 48 hours. Acetylcholine at 10 μM was ineffective in the induction of nitric oxide production by HUVEC. In contrast, the ionomycin (1 μM) and lipopolysaccharide (100 ng / ml) evoked a remarkable production of nitric oxide. This production of nitric oxide by the HUVEC was blocked, when N-methyl L-arginine was added to the incubation medium. The cocoa procyanidin dimer, pentamer and heptamer evoked a dose-dependent NO production from HUVEC. The maximum production was observed at the highest concentration, tested, that is, 100 μg / ml. The monomer, trimer and tetramer of procyanidin also evoked a marked production but only at a concentration of 100 μg / ml. The potency of the different procyanidins, considering the high dose used is as follows: dimer > trimer > heptamer = pentamer = tetramer > monomer Example 18 _ Nitric oxide dependent hypertension in guinea pigs Guinea pigs (about 400 g of body weight, females and males) were anesthetized with injection of 40 mg / kg of sodium pentobarbital. The carotid artery was cannulated to monitor blood pressure through a Gould pressure transducer (Model P500). Each of the six cocoa procyanidins, in the concentrations of 1, 3, 10 and 25 mg / kg, which was injected intravenously through the jugular vein. Alterations in blood pressure were recorded in a polygraph. - In preliminary experiments (two animals), it was determined that the dose of 100 mg / kg could not be used since the vehicle containing DMSO had a direct effect on the mean arterial blood pressure. No significant effect of the vehicle containing DMSO was observed when the 25 mg / kg dose of cocoa procyanidin (15 ± 5%) was used. The effects of administering 1, 3, 10 or 25 mg / kg of cocoa procyanidins on the arterial blood pressure of anesthetized guinea pigs were investigated. With intravenous injection, the monomer and dimer of procyanidins evoked a decrease in blood pressure of approximately 20%, ie, not very different from solvent injection alone (15 ± 5%, n By contrast, the trimer, pentamer and procyanidin hexamer of cocoa (10 mg / kg) induced marked decreases in arterial blood pressure, ie, up to 62-85% for the procyanidin tetramer and hexamer of x: acao The potency classification of the different procyanidins of cocoa, considering the highest dose used, was as follows: hexamer = tetramer &pentamer &trimer.

TABLE 5 Data without processing: "effect of cocoa extracts on arterial blood pressure of previously anesthetized guinea pigs (6 experiments) 1 The results were expressed as% of the average arterial blood pressure control.

A comparison of the in vitro and in vivo results shows the following potency classification for cocoa procyanidins: NO production (100 μg / ml): dimer > trimer > hexamer = pentamer = tetramer > monomer NO production (10 μg / ml): pentamer, tetramer and dimer (poor induction) Hypotension: hexamer = tetramer > pentamer > trimer > dimer = monomers. Except for the dimer, the heptamer or tetramer that induces NO production at the lower dose were more effective in inducing a fall in arterial blood pressure. These results suggest that caCao procyanidins can induce NO production in vitro related to. in vivo Example 19 Aortic rings from New Zealand white rabbits were placed in 20 ml organ baths. Endothelium - dependent relaxation (EDR) at a single dose of cocoa procyanidin (10"d M) and acetylcholine (Ach) were demonstrated in parallel rings pre - contracted with. norepinephrine (NE) (10 ~ 5 M) cocoa procyanidins [sic]. The cocoa procyanidins tested were the monomer, dimer, trimer, tetramer, pentamer, hexamer. Of these, only the pentamer, hexamer and heptamer showed vasorelax activity. Of the two cocoa procyanidin mixtures tested, only the one containing the pentamer to decamer (combo 2) showed significant EDR, while the other mixture (combo 1) that contained monomer to tetramer had no effect on vascular tone. Combo 2 and pentamer were then used to demonstrate dose-dependent vasorelaxation (10_ 8 to 10 ~ 5 M). The rings were incubated for 30 minutes with these cocoa procyanidins (10 ~ 5 M) and retested with Ach and cocoa procyanidins (10-7 to 10 ~ 4) .Incubation of the tissue with these procyanidin (s) cocoa attenuated EDR evoked by cocoa procyanidins and Ach acutely, maximum relaxation for Ach preincubation, 49 ± 5%, post incubation of pentamer, 2 ± 1.4%, post incubation combo 2, 0.8 ± 0.8%: for the pre-incubation of the pentamer 46.5 ± 4.5%; post incubation, 6.8 ± 3.2%: preincubation combo 2, 54.3 ± 7%; post incubation 1.7 ± 1.1%, n = 59. The effect of incubation with cocoa procyanidins (ie, abolition of EDR, was partially restored by incubating the tissue with L-arginine (10-4 M) for 30 minutes (maximum relaxation , for Ach: pos. L-arginine, 21.5 ± 6%, post combo 2, post L-arginine, 13.7 ± 2.6%: for the pentamer, post incubation of the pentamer, post L-arginine 18.3 ± 5.8%: for combo 2; post incubation combo 2, post L-arginine, 5.5 ± 2.8%, n = 5) .The results suggest that substrate depletion for NO synthase may take this effect into account.The above results are shown in Tables 6 to 9.

TABLE 6 Preliminary Experiments on the Effect of Cocoa Procyanidins on Rabbit Aortic Rings TABLE 7 Response for dose due to acute exposure to cocoa procyanidins __ TABLE 8 Effect of incubation with cocoa procyanidins and L-arginine TABLE 9 The above findings demonstrate that only cocoa procyanidins prior to the trimer are capable of causing vasorelaxation and that cocoa procyanidins have small effects on vascular tone which are less likely to be associated with antioxidant activity. Other variations and modifications that will be obvious to those skilled in the art are within the scope and teachings of this invention. This invention is not limited except for what is established in the following clauses.

Claims (30)

1. A food product containing at least one procyanidin and L-arginine in a combined amount effective to induce physiological increase in the production of nitric oxide in a mammal after ingesting the food product.

2. A food product containing: (i) cocoa procyanidin, walnut procyanidin or mixtures thereof, wherein the amount of the procyanidin (s) is at least about 300 mg / l00 g of the food product, and wherein the amount of L-arginine is at least about 1.2 g per 100 g of the food product.

3. The food of claim 2, wherein the L-arginine is at least about 1.6 per 100 g of the food product.

4. The food product of claim 2, wherein the procyanidin is cocoa procyanidin.

5. The food product of claim 2, wherein the procyanidin is cocoa procyanidin and walnut procyanidin.

6. The food product of claim 2, wherein the procyanidin is walnut procyanidin. The food product of claims 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the L-arginine is provided by at least one food ingredient selected from the group consisting of nuts, legumes, seeds and gelatin. 8. The food product of claim 7, wherein the L-arginine-containing ingredient is a meat, skin, paste or flour from nuts, legumes or seeds. 9. The food product of claim 8, wherein the nut is selected from the group consisting of: peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, smooth nuts or pecans, cashew nuts and hazelnut-like fruits (from Australia); where the legume is soybeans; and wherein the seeds are selected from the group consisting of: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. The food product of claims 4 or 5, wherein the cocoa procyanidin is provided by at least one cocoa ingredient. The food product of claim 10, wherein the cocoa ingredient is roasted cocoa nibs or fractions thereof, chocolate liquor, partially defatted cocoa solids, fully defatted cocoa solids or mixtures thereof. 12. The food product of claims 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the food product is a dessert, a seasoning, a baked product, a grain-based bar, a substitute meat bar, a mixture for drinks, a drink or a pet food. The food product of claim 1, 2, 4 or 5, wherein the cocoa procyanidin is provided by a cocoa extract. The food product of claim 13, wherein the cocoa extract is present in an amount of at least about 25 mg per 100 g of the food product. 15. The food product of claim 12, wherein the food product is a food product without chocolate. 16. The food product of claim 15, wherein the food product without chocolate is a peanut-based food product. 1

7. The food product of claim 13, wherein the food product is a chocolate food product. 1

8. The food product of claim 17, wherein the chocolate food product is a dessert or chocolate candy. 1

9. The food product of claim 17, wherein the chocolate dessert consists of a dark chocolate. The food product of claim 17, wherein the chocolate dessert consists of milk chocolate. 21. The food product of claim 12, wherein the food product contains nuts with skins, crushed walnut skins or mixtures thereof. 22. A pharmaceutical composition containing cocoa nut procyanidin (s), L-arginine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the procyanidin (s) and L-arginine are added in an effective combined amount to provide a cardiovascular benefit in a mammal after the composition is ingested. 23. The pharmaceutical composition containing cocoa nut procyanidin (s), L-arginine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the procyanidin (s) and L-arginine are added in an effective combined amount to act as a Nitric oxide modulating agent in a mammal after the composition is inqerida. The composition of claim 22 or 23, wherein the procyanidin (s) is (are) present in an amount between 10 mg to about 5 g per unit dose and, wherein the L-arginine -is present in an amount of about 100 mg to about 30 grams per unit dose. The composition of claim 24, wherein the procyanidin (s) are 25 mg to 3 g, and the L-arginine is 0.5 g to 10 g. 26. The composition of claim 22 or 23, wherein the cocoa procyanidin (s) are the pentamers to the nonamers. 27. The food of claim 1 or the pharmaceutical composition of claim 23, wherein the proclanidines and / or L-arginine is synthetic 28. A method for increasing the production of nitric oxide in a mammal consists of feeding the mammal with a food product containing at least one procyanidin and L-arginine in a combined amount effective to increase the production of nitric oxide 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the procyanidin is a cocoa procyanidin, a walnut procyanidin. or mixtures thereof 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the amount of the procyanidin (s) is (are) at least about 30 mg / l00 g of the food product, and wherein the amount of L -arginine is at least about 1.2 g per 100 g of the food product.