PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A HIGH POLYPHENOL-CONTAINING COMPOSITION

AN OBJECT IS TO PROVIDE A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING, SIMPLY AND EFFECTIVELY, A HIGH POLYPHENOL-CONTAINING COMPOSITION, IN PARTICULAR, A COMPOSITION THE CACAO POLYPHENOL CONTENT IS HIGH WHILE THE THEOBRORNINE CONTENT IS LOW. THE POLYPHENOL-CONTAINING COMPOSITION PRODUCING PROCESS COMPRISES THE FOLLOWING STEPS: (A) PERFORMING AN EXTRACTION OF A POLYPHENOL-CONTAINING PLANT OR A PROCESSED PRODUCT THEREOF WITH A SOLVENT, TO OBTAIN A CRUDE POLYPHENOL EXTRACT; (B) APPLYING THE CRUDE POLYPHENOL EXTRACT TO A CATION EXCHANGE RESIN SUBJECTED BEFOREHAND TO HYDROGEN ION SUBSTITUTION, AND SUBSEQUENTLY PASSING A FIRST SOLVENT CONTAINING NO IONIC SUBSTANCE THROUGH THE CATION EXCHANGE RESIN, TO OBTAIN A FIRST POLYPHENOL ELUATE; (C) PASSING THE FIRST POLYPHENOL ELUATE AGAIN THROUGH A CATION EXCHANGE RESIN SUBJECTED BEFOREHAND TO HYDROGEN ION SUBSTITUTION, AND THEN PASSING A SECOND SOLVENT CONTAINING NO IONIC SUBSTANCE THROUGH THE CATION EXCHANGE RESIN, TO OBTAIN A SECOND POLYPHENOL ELUATE; AND (D) CONCENTRATING OR DRYING THE SECOND POLYPHENOL ELUATE. THE PROCESS MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO YIELD A POLYPHENOL-CONTAINING COMPOSITION THAT THE POLYPHENOL CONTENT IN SOLID CONTENT IS 33% OR MORE BY WEIGHT AND THE THEOBROMINE CONTENT IS 1% OR LESS BY WEIGHT.