Chocolate can have many flavors – from fruity and floral to strong and bitter. Now researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding the fermentation of cocoa beans. An international team led by Prof. David Salt from the University of Nottingham studied beans from three cocoa-growing regions in Colombia and showed how specific microbes active during fermentation strongly shape the final taste.
Nine microbes as the “secret ingredient”
While beans from Santander and Huila developed fruity and floral notes during fermentation, beans from Antioquia lacked these flavors due to the presence of different microbes. Through genetic analysis, the team identified nine key microbes that together produce the fine notes of citrus, fruit, and flowers. In experiments, sterile beans fermented with this microbial community yielded a more refined chocolate taste with less bitterness and astringency.
According to Salt, the findings open up new possibilities for chocolate production: farmers could deliberately foster the right microbial mix to consistently produce high-quality cocoa. This could not only help reduce production costs but also allow for the creation of entirely new flavor profiles – a kind of “secret sauce” for the future of chocolate.
