NUTRACEUTICAL VALUE OF COCOA: HEART-HEALTHY “TOSCOLATA” CHOCOLATE TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT PISA SANT’ANNA SCHOOL ALLOWING SCHOOL COMMUNITY TO MINGLE WITH DIPLOMATS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC EMBASSY
Heart-healthy Toscolata chocolate is a result of collaboration among research partners - the Sant’Anna School Institute of Life Sciences, Institute IVALSA of the Italian National Research Council, the University of Siena, the University of Pisa and the Dominican Republic. The Tuscany handmade chocolate has been presented to a special audience composed of diplomats from the Dominican Republic (the world’s ninth largest cocoa producer), country of origin of the cocoa beans used by Tuscan producer Vestri (the Vestri family owns a “finca”, a cocoa plantation in Punta Cana).
Pasquale Balestrieri, Dominican Republic Honorary Consulate – Florence, Johanne Pena Arias, Dominican Republic Embassy – Rome, Luca Sebastiani and Chiara Busnelli, as Sant’Anna School representatives, met at the School’s official store which stocks high-quality Toscolata, gifts and souvenirs.
Toscolata chocolate has received significant media coverage in recent years because it may help protect your cardiovascular system. In addition to antioxidant qualities, research shows that cocoa flavanols have potential influences on heart health lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow. The Dominican Republic top quality cocoa beans are shipped to Vestri (Arezzo) for the roasting, refining and tempering process. As diplomats Pasquale Balestrieri and Johanne Pena Arias demonstrate, the first challenge is to increase production while the market demand for Toscolata nutraceutical chocolate is growing. The Toscolata recipe also requires organic ingredients, according to the nutraceutical safe manufacturing standards, from certified Tuscany farms which offer high quality apples, olive oil and chestnut flour.
