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  Dutched Cocoa Powder - Antioxidant Content
What is the difference between dutched cocoa powder and regular?  The cocoa nibs are treated with alkaline salts to reduce the acidity and bitterness before they are crushed.  Both can make a nice cup of cocoa, but don't switch them in baking.  The difference in pH can affect the way your recipe behaves.  Dutch cocoa powder is more easy to dissolve in liquid, so it's good for a cup of cocoa.  The antioxidant-rich polyphenols in the cocoa are naturally acidic, so adding the alkalinizing agent reduces the amount of available antioxidants, which is why we are consuming them in the first place.  So why use dutched cocoa instead of the darker richer cocoa?  It depends on your recipe.  Baking soda works best with more acidic ingredients, so you would use the regular cocoa powder in those recipes, whereas recipes with baking powder work better in neutral or alkaline environments. 

These values can be found in the document "Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of Selected Foods - 2007" USDA





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