Elsewhere, Mars is trying to get to the root of the problem, improving the resilience of the all-important cocoa plant. The food giant is working with the USDA and UC Davis to sequence the genomes of pathogens that cause diseases that devastate crops, including black pod disease. He hopes that by understanding the problems at the microscopic level, resilient cocoa trees can be selected and the industry’s supply problems can be circumvented altogether.
Nag points to other areas of development, which focus on improving the quality of new solutions. In particular, it suggests that pascalization could be promising.
“Pascalization [also referred to as high-pressure processing—HPP] involves applying high levels of hydrostatic pressure to cocoa products to stabilize the cocoa particles and prevent separation of the cocoa powder,” he explains.
“This technique preserves flavors and nutrients, extends shelf life, changes texture, and ensures the food safety of cocoa and chocolate products without relying on heat or chemical preservatives. While this method is still in the research phase, it shows promise in improving the texture of chocolate products, particularly in alternative formulations.”
Despite the growing competition, Mishra is confident in the full potential of pods. However, his team is not the first to consider it, and both Nestlé and Lindt & Sprüngli have made attempted forays into similar markets, with varying degrees of success.
After launching its all-cocoa product Incoa in 2019, Nestlé quietly withdrew it from the market in 2023 after receiving a disappointing reception from select European markets. The chocolate did not use the endocarp and skipped the gel production step, but promised similar positive results for farmers. Elsewhere, Lindt & Sprüngli has apparently found more appetite after launching its Cocoa Pure product in 2021; continues to offer the limited edition 100% cocoa bar, again in collaboration with Koa, but also using only the pulp.
The spirit of the industry therefore seems to be open to new ideas, but would the public welcome this new chocolate and will ETH Zurich’s unique chocolate production method ever make it out of the laboratory?
“If I didn’t have a day job, I would probably start a company,” Mishra says. “But the real milestone for implementation is for a chocolate company to take the risk of prototyping a product – a real product, not a product made by scientists. We scientists are really bad at creating culinary delights, in general. I think that as soon as a larger chocolate manufacturer deems this a path worth taking, the change will begin.”