Researchers at Nestlé have developed a new method that could increase the amount of chocolate made from a single cocoa fruit.
The Swiss food and beverage giant said Wednesday that the patented technique utilizes additional parts of the fruit — rather than just the cocoa beans used in conventional chocolate-making.
Nestlé scientists collected everything inside the cocoa pod, including the beans as well as the pulp, placenta and pod husk, into a “wet mass.” The collected material is then fermented, ground, roasted and dried.
The result, company officials said, maintains the taste of chocolate while utilizing up to 30% more of the cocoa fruit.
In addition to improving yields, the method could also bolster the overall value of cocoa harvests and make cocoa extraction a more efficient process for farmers. It would also reduce waste, as well as help alleviate problems in the cocoa supply chain that have driven prices to record levels.
The process remains in the pilot-project stage, but Louise Barrett, the head of Nestlé’s Research and Development Center for Confectionery in York, England, said that the company is exploring ways to deploy it at a larger scale.
"With climate change increasingly affecting cocoa yields around the world, we are exploring innovative solutions that could help cocoa farmers maximize the potential of their harvests,” Barrett said in a statement. “This groundbreaking technique utilizes more of the fruit, while enabling us to provide delicious chocolate to our consumers.”
