The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

RIVM report 650270002 Page 11 of 207
Theobromine
AMOUNT IN SMOKE
main stream
No data available.
side stream
No data available.
SOURCE
A source of theobromine in cigarettes is cocoa powder, which occurs in the casing of
cigarette (6).
ENVIRONMENTAL LEVELS AND HUMAN EXPOSURE
Theobromine is the principal alkaloid of the cacao bean which contains 1.5 – 3 % of
the base. Cacao husks contain 0.7 – 1.2 %. It is also present in cola nuts and in tea. (2,
4, 8) Levels have been reported to be 20 mg/kg in green coffee beans, 0.15 – 0.20 %
in manufactured tea and 0.3 % in dried mate (4). Theobroma oil may contain up to
2% theobromine (8).
Theobromine is a component of the cocoa solids, or nonlipid portion of chocolate
liquor (4).
Cacao is the major natural source of theobromine; the concentration in whole cacao
beans and nibs (cotyledon) increases during the first day of fermentation and that in
the shells increases subsequently. Hot chocolate beverages have average levels of of
65 mg/180 mL serving; chocolate milk samples prepared from instant, cold,
sweetened cocoa powders have an average level of 58 mg theobromine per serving,
and hot cocoa prepared from nine commercial instant mixes had an average of 62 mg
theobromine per serving. Dark chocolate contains the largest amount of theobromine
per serving of any type of eating chocolate; concentrations vary widely, but 1 bar of
approximately 30 g dark chocolate contained 130 mg theobromine, and 1 bar of
approximately 30 g milk chocolate contained 44 mg theobromine. In the USA in
1980, the daily per-caput intake of theobromine from food and beverages was
estimated to be 39.05 mg; daily per-caput consumption of theobromine from cocoa
was calculated to be 38.3 mg on the basis of the 276 million kg of cocoa imported.
The daily per caput intake is 16.7 % of the total intake of methylxanthines (4).
Theobromine is also one of the primary metabolites of caffeine (9). In rats the mean
fraction of caffeine converted to theobromine was 16 % (10).
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
When heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of NOx (1).
CONSENSUS REPORTS
Reported in EPA TSCA Inventory. EPA Genetic Toxicology Program (1).
There is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity in humans of theobromine.
There are no data on the carcinogenicity of theobromine in experimental animals (4).
STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
ADI: no data available.
TWANL = MAC: no data available.
TWAD =MAK: no data available.
TWAUSA: no data available.
STELNL: no data available.