Brussels: Shop-bought chocolate-based sweets contain dangerous chemicals that can damage DNA and cause cancer, researchers warn.
Research has found that confectionery products such as waffles and cakes contain large amounts of carcinogens that are added to these items during the manufacturing process.
This compound is formed when cocoa beans are roasted to give them a chocolate flavor.
According to researchers at the Leuven Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Technology in Belgium, alpha-beta-unsaturated carbonyls are formed after cocoa beans are crushed and cocoa butter is added.
Researchers say this process is common in foods made from scratch because companies use high temperatures to produce these foods, which add more flavor and aroma to the product.
The deterioration of these foods can cause carbonyls to mix with stomach acid and proteins, which can damage DNA, speed up cell division, and turn normal cells into cancer cells.
In the study, scientists tested 22 sweet foods, including waffles, cakes, and biscuits, with and without chocolate.
Research has found that packaged foods such as biscuits and crackers are low in 10 carbonyls. In contrast, waffles and cakes were found to contain more (4.3 milligrams per kilogram) of this poison than the recommended amount (0.15 milligrams per day).
