Theobromine toxicity and remediation of cocoa by-products: An overview

Abstract

Cocoa-producing and processing countries generate huge quantities of cocoa by-products that have potential as livestock feed. Theobromine, a ubiquitous methylxanthine in the cocoa plant, imposes limitations on the use the by-products by exerting detrimental effects on animals at high dietary concentrations. This has necessitated studies on the development of appropriate detheobromination methods. A measure of success has been achieved using liot water extraction, alkali treatment or microbial treatment. This mini-review discusses progress made in the development of appropriate physicochemical and biological remediation procedures for cocoa waste products. © 2013 Asian Network for Scientific Information.