A Review: Food Synergy Effect between Chaga Mushroom and Chocolate - with Product Development Prototype
| dc.contributor.author | Zhang, Yuning | |
| dc.contributor.chair | Liu, Rui Hai | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-07-14T21:04:15Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-07-14T21:04:15Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-05 | |
| dc.description.abstract | As nutrition science develops, it becomes more clear that the health effects of food cannot be fully explained by isolated nutrients alone. The concept of food synergy suggests that interactions between natural compounds - within and between whole foods - can produce biological effects greater than the sum of their parts. This review explores a new synergy possibility between two ingredients with traditional and modern interest: Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) and Theobroma cacao (cocoa). Although each of them has been studied individually for antioxidant activity, cognitive benefits, immune modulation, and gut health, there is still no structured model that investigates their combined potential. Through examination of their major bioactive classes - including triterpenoids, melanins, flavanols, and polysaccharides -this review identifies overlapping health domains and possible points of biochemical cooperation. It also discusses how cocoa’s lipid matrix may help improve the bioavailability of Chaga’s fat-soluble compounds, and how both may act together on antioxidant gene expression and gut-brain pathways. Furthermore, this paper addresses the challenges in studying food synergy, such as regulatory limitations and lack of clinical studies, and suggests systems biology and formulation science as future directions. By focusing on Chaga and cocoa as a pair, this review proposes not only a new functional food concept, but also a wider theoretical model that may help guide future research in the field of synergistic nutrition. It shows how combining traditional knowledge with modern scientific thinking can bring new understanding in the creation of multi-target, holistic dietary solutions. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1813/117295 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International | * |
| dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ | * |
| dc.title | A Review: Food Synergy Effect between Chaga Mushroom and Chocolate - with Product Development Prototype | en_US |
| dc.type | dissertation or thesis | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Master of Food Science |
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