Elsewhere, Mars is trying to get to the literal root of the problem by improving the resilience of its most important cocoa plants. The food giant is working with the Department of Agriculture and the University of California, Davis, to sequence the genomes of pathogens responsible for diseases that wreak havoc on crop yields, such as black pod disease. The hope is that by understanding the problem at a microscopic level, we can select resilient cocoa trees and avoid supply problems in the sector altogether.
Nag points to other areas of development focused on improving the quality of new solutions. In particular, she suggests that pascalization may hold promise.
“Pascalization (also known as high pressure processing, HPP) applies high levels of hydrostatic pressure to the cocoa product to stabilize the cocoa particles and prevent cocoa powder from separating,” she explains.
“This technology preserves flavor and nutrients, extends shelf life, modifies texture, and ensures food safety for cocoa and chocolate products without relying on heat or chemical preservatives. Although still under investigation, it has shown potential for improving the texture of chocolate products, especially in alternative formulations.”
Despite the increased competition, Mishra is confident in realizing the pod’s full potential. But his team was not the first to consider it, and both Nestlé and Lindt & Sprüngli have made tentative forays into similar markets with varying degrees of success.
Nestlé launched its all-cocoa product Incore in 2019, then quietly withdrew it from the market in 2023 after receiving disappointing reviews from some European markets. This chocolate did not use endocarp and omitted the gel manufacturing step, but promised similar positive results for farmers. Elsewhere, Lindt & Sprüngli appears to have seen an even greater appetite after launching its Cocoa Pure products in 2021. The company, also in partnership with Koa, continues to offer limited edition 100 percent cacao bars, which also use only fruit pulp.
Industry spirits seem to welcome new ideas, but will the public embrace this new chocolate, and will ETH Zurich’s unique chocolate-making method ever make it out of the lab?
“If I didn’t have a day job, I probably would have started a company,” Mishra says. “But the real implementation milestone to achieve is for chocolate companies to take the risk of prototyping a product, a real product, not one made by scientists. Usually we’re really bad at making good food, and I think that’s going to start changing the moment the big chocolate companies decide that’s the way to go.”
