Nestle develops technique to get more yield from cocoa fruit

Nestle says it has developed a patented technique that utilizes up to 30 per cent more cocoa fruit to produce chocolate.

Traditionally, chocolate is made using only the cocoa beans that are extracted from inside the cocoa pod. The beans are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, and then ground into a liquor, which is used to make chocolate. However, a significant amount of cocoa fruit, including the pulp, placenta, and pod husk, remains largely unused.

Recognizing the untapped potential of these underutilized parts of the cocoa fruit, Nestle’s R&D experts developed a technique that leverages all parts of the fruit inside the cocoa pod. In this method, everything inside the pod is collected as a wet mass, which ferments naturally, unlocking the key chocolate flavour. The mass is then ground, roasted and dried into chocolate flakes, which can be used to make chocolate.

Louise Barrett, head of the Nestle Research and Development Center for Confectionery in York, U.K., sad, “With climate change increasingly affecting cocoa yields around the world, we are exploring innovative solutions that could help cocoa farmers maximize the potential of their harvests. This groundbreaking technique utilizes more of the fruit, while enabling us to provide delicious chocolate to our consumers. While this project is still at a pilot stage, we are currently exploring how to apply this innovation at a larger scale.”