Isolation of theobromine from chocolate

[Zami'87]

Hi there!I read a story about a dog who died from eating too much chocolate. I know that chocolate is toxic but I thought maybe I could somehow isolate theobromine from differents kinds of chocolate and deduce which kind is the most toxic.
But there is a problem:nobody knows how to isolate theobromine from chocolate(even some University professors!).Please help(books, sites ,PROTOCOLS).Thanks! Jana :oops:

[RobJim]

PubMed would be the place I'd go to look.

Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and click the PubMed tab at the top left.

[Zami'87]

Originally Posted by RobJim

PubMed would be the place I'd go to look.

Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and click the PubMed tab at the top left.

Thanks but only abstracts are available! :cry:

[john500]

I'd be careful about making quick assumptions that it is a consituent of the chocolate. The toxicity could be related to the added sugar from chocolate processors. Animals tend to be much more susceptible to diabetic-type complications than humans (i.e. omnivore-man and carnivore-dog). You could probably measure theobromine content by some type of chromatography technique (GC or more likely HPLC) and not have to worry about isolation by extraction.

[Zami'87]

Originally Posted by john500

I'd be careful about making quick assumptions that it is a consituent of the chocolate. The toxicity could be related to the added sugar from chocolate processors. Animals tend to be much more susceptible to diabetic-type complications than humans (i.e. omnivore-man and carnivore-dog). You could probably measure theobromine content by some type of chromatography technique (GC or more likely HPLC) and not have to worry about isolation by extraction.

Maybe you're right. Thanks very much!

[Ditzy]

Hi was just reading this thread. Did you find anything out about the isolation of theobromine from chocolate. I'm using GCMS to analsye the theobromine content in different brands of chocolate from bars to drinking choc. I'm conducting research into weather it has adverse effects for humans, and how much chocolate would need to be consumed to feel the effects. If you've got anymore research/journals that are useful i would much appreaciate it

Cheers
Ditzy

[Zami'87]

Originally Posted by Ditzy

Ditzy

No sorry for dissapointed you .but I still have that idea in the stock maybe for next year. I can't find mentor and lab right now :cry: .
Glad for you!So as I am "chocoholic" :lol: which brand is the healthiest? :lol:
See ya !

[robert Houseal]

I happen to have a patented process that results in an excellent chocolate with more than 95% of the caffeine and theobromine removed.

[opuntia]

Originally Posted by Zami'87

which brand is the healthiest? :lol:
See ya !

For me it's Toblerone! :lol: