Seminars on marijuana and chocolate, on the same day!

Speaker: Dr. Joseph Vinson, University of Scranton, PA Wed March 6th, 2013 in Kirkman 202 CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF MARIJUANA @ 3:00 p.m. CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF CHOCOLATE: A GUILT-FREE FOOD? @ 7:00 p.m. Food and beverages derived from cocoa beans have been consumed by humans for 1500 years,and the beverage was originally used as a currency and in religious rites by the Mayans and Aztecs. A short history of chocolate will give some perspective to the science of chocolate. Cocoa pods from the cacao tree Theobroma cacao are harvested and the beans removed from the pods and fermented. Dried and roasted beans contain about 300 chemicals including unique fats, alkaloids, and simple and complex polyphenols. The manufacturing process results in the production of the various types of chocolate including white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and cocoa powder. Chocolate is purported to have aphrodisiac properties and one ingredient acts on the cannabinoid (marijuana) receptor. Chocolate’s antioxidant properties will be outlined and compared with other foods. How chocolate’s fat and antioxidants are related to heart disease will be discussed in terms of epidemiological, animal and human supplementation, and mechanistic studies. New studies indicate that chocolate improves brain function. Recent animal and human studies will be described to determine whether chocolate should be considered a guilt-free food.