News | Industry Updates In the study, 18 healthy male participants aged between 18 and


40 underwent a standard procedure to challenge the brain’s blood circulation that involves breathing 5% carbon dioxide – about 100 times the normal concentration in air, producing an effect called hypercapnia. Non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique that uses light to capture changes in blood oxygenation levels, was used to track the increases in brain oxygenation in the frontal cortex in response to this carbon dioxide challenge. Each participant underwent the test before and after drinking a


Can drinking cocoa make you smarter?


A team at the University of Birmingham has found that people given a cocoa drink containing high levels of flavanols were able to complete certain cognitive tasks more efficiently than when drinking a non-flavanol enriched-drink. The study participants also underwent non-invasive brain imaging to


measure blood oxygenation levels in the brain. Working with experts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois), the researchers showed that participants who had consumed the flavanol-rich drink produced a faster and greater increase in blood oxygenation levels in response to artificially elevated levels of CO2 (hypercapnia). Flavanols, a sub-group of plant flavonoids, are present in cocoa,


grapes, apples, tea, berries and other foods. They are known to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health, but their effects on brain health are not well understood. This study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first time the cognitive effects of flavanols in young, healthy subjects and the link with brain blood oxygenation have been investigated. Lead author, Dr Catarina Rendeiro, of the University of Birmingham’s


School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, explained: “We used cocoa in our experiment, but flavanols are extremely common in a wide range of fruit and vegetables. By better understanding the cognitive benefits of eating these food groups, as well as the wider cardiovascular benefits, we can offer improved guidance to people about how to make the most of their dietary choices.”


cocoa drink on two occasions and on one of those occasions, the drink was enriched with flavanols. Following the carbon dioxide test, the participants were asked to complete a number of progressively complex cognitive tests. The researchers found that the participants who had taken the flavanol-enriched drink had the highest levels of blood oxygenation in response to hypercapnia, reaching levels up to three times higher than participants drinking the non-flavanol-enriched drink. They also achieved these elevated levels one minute faster than participants who drank the non-enriched cocoa. In the cognitive tests, the researchers found significant differences


in the speed and accuracy with which volunteers completed the higher complexity tasks, with volunteers who had taken the flavanol- enriched drink performing the tasks 11 per cent faster on average. “Our results showed a clear benefit for the participants taking the flavanol-enriched drink – but only when the task became sufficiently complicated,” explained Dr Rendeiro. “We can link this with our results on improved blood oxygenation – if you’re being challenged more, your brain needs improved blood oxygen levels to manage that challenge. It also further suggests that flavanols might be particularly beneficial during cognitively demanding tasks.” The researchers also noted a further outcome. Within the study


cohort, there was a small group who did not benefit at all from the flavanol-enriched drink in terms of blood oxygenation levels, and who also did not derive any cognitive benefit. This group was shown to have existing high levels of brain oxygenation responses to start with that were not increased further by drinking the enriched cocoa. “This may indicate that some individuals, who perhaps are already very fit, have little room for further improvement” added Dr Rendeiro. “The small group of participants who did not react to the flavanol


gives us additional evidence to confirm the link between increased brain blood oxygenation and cognitive ability,” Dr Rendeiro concluded.


Coca-Cola European Partners aims to reach Net Zero emissions by 2040


Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is set to accelerate the decarbonisation of its business by reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its entire value chain – including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions – by 30% by 2030 (vs 2019). The group further wants to set a path to become a Net Zero business by 2040, in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement. CCEP will reduce GHG emissions across all five areas of its value chain


– ingredients, packaging, operations, transportation and refrigeration. Crucially, there is a significant focus on reducing scope 3 emissions via a commitment to support strategic suppliers to set their own science- based carbon reduction targets and use 100% renewable electricity. CCEP’s immediate action plan is supported by a three-year


€250m investment which will provide targeted financial support to decarbonise its business. This includes sustainable packaging initiatives, such as the progression of its 100% rPET roadmap and investing in the scaling of depolymerisation technology, which will help accelerate the delivery of its longer-term net-zero objectives.


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The ambition is underpinned by the inclusion of a GHG emissions reduction target in CCEP’s long term management incentive plan (LTIP) – 15% of the LTIP awarded in 2020 will be based on the extent to which CCEP reduces GHG emissions over the next three years. It builds on work undertaken over the last decade to reduce GHG


emissions across CCEP’s entire value chain by 30.5% (vs 2010) as part of This is Forward, its joint sustainability plan with Coca-Cola in Western Europe. CCEP’s 2030 GHG reduction commitment has been approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as being in line with a 1.5˚C reduction pathway as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). As part of its journey to Net Zero, CCEP will invest in projects


which remove carbon from the atmosphere or verified carbon offset projects. However, it will focus on reducing emissions as far as possible and will only offset where essential and where it can’t reduce emissions any further.


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