Does roasting reduce antioxidants in cacao?

After learning about all the fantastic benefits of pure cacao, I read an article today ("Choosing the Best Chocolate for Your Health") that made me question some of Choffy's health claims. Specifically, it states that while raw cacao is indeed a superfood, roasting is one of the processes that negatively impacts its antioxidant load. I immediately reread the Choffy health benefits (since Choffy is 100% pure organic roasted cacao), which say that cacao's inherent antioxidants and minerals survive the roasting process.

Turns out, the article (you can read it here) and Choffy are both right.

Choffy's health claims are based on testing they had done on the roasted, ground, brewed finished product. While it is possible that raw cacao has even higher antioxidant levels, the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of brewed Choffy tested at 8500, a number that is still off the charts. Put it this way - if roasting the cacao beans brings out the flavor in a way that makes us want to ingest them and take advantage of the antioxidants, then it is worth it.

Read more: Cornell scientists tout health punch of cocoa