Results of studying cocoa bean fermentation in Colombia could pave way to manipulate flavour, say researchers
Whether you enjoy an aromatic bar with notes of caramel or something less fancy, chocolate can have many tastes. Now researchers say they have shed fresh light on a key ingredient that could open the door to new flavours.
They claim to have unpicked how and why the bacteria and fungi involved in the fermentation of cocoa beans influence the flavour of chocolate.
“We understand now what microbes we need and what they’re doing. And I think that opens up the opportunity … to be a lot more directed [about] how we make our chocolate in terms of its flavour.” said Prof David Salt, co-author of the work from the University of Nottingham.
Writing in the journal Nature Microbiology, the team report how they studied beans fermented at cocoa farms in three different regions of Colombia – Santander, Huila and Antioquia.
