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Scientists at The Hershey Co. and Brunswick Laboratories of Norton, Mass., analyzed Hershey's Natural Cocoa Powder and nineteen other cocoa powders.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found natural cocoa powders contained an average of 34.6 mg of flavanols per gram of cocoa powder, or about 3.5 percent of total flavanols by weight -- placing cocoa powder among the foods highest in these types of antioxidants.

Anti-oxidants slow or prevent the oxidation, which can produce free radicals that start chain reactions that damage cells.

The study examined a variety of Dutched, or alkaline processed cocoa powder -- a 180-year-old process used to lower the bitterness and darken the color of cocoa powder -- commonly used in chocolate milk, hot cocoa mixes, cakes, cookies and some confections.

In this study, the degree of cocoa alkalization caused a progressive, but not complete loss, of flavanol anti-oxidants, with about 40 percent retained in lightly dutched cocoas, 25 percent retained in medium dutched cocoas, and 10 percent retained in heavily dutched cocoas.

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