A team led by Prof. David Salt at the University of Nottingham made a breakthrough in understanding how microbes influence cocoa fermentation. They studied beans from three Colombian regions and found that beans from Santander and Huila developed fruity and floral flavors, while Antioquia beans lacked these due to different microbes.
Nine Microbes Shape Chocolate Flavors
The researchers identified nine essential microbes responsible for creating citrus, fruit, and floral notes in chocolate. Fermenting sterile beans with these microbes produced chocolate with richer flavor, less bitterness, and smoother texture.
Changing Cocoa Production and Flavor Creation
Prof. Salt explains that farmers could harness these microbes to produce high-quality cocoa consistently. This method may reduce costs by requiring less processing and could lead to new, innovative chocolate flavors—the “secret sauce” for future cocoa farming and chocolate making.
