Luisa Vicinanza-Bedi, the founder of Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates, is an artisan chocolate maker in Nottingham.

“I’ve always loved chocolate, but when I discovered all the tastes and nuances of single-origin chocolate – the incredible flavor notes, like a fine wine,” she says, “my eyes were opened.”

Much of the chocolate we consume is made from cocoa sourced from multiple farms, regions, or countries.

Ms Vicinanza-Bedi, on the other hand, claims that using a single bean variety from a single farm gives the chocolate a distinct flavor.

“We trade directly with our farmers and inspect the beans,” she explains. “We conduct a cut test, a weight test, a moisture test, an aroma test, and a pilot line taste.”

“It’s the same if you think about wine or coffee. The flavors are derived from the terrain, climate, and soils of various parts of the world. They all taste completely different.”

Scientists are trying to figure out where those unique flavors come from so that they can be replicated more consistently.

Prof. Irene Chetschik directs the Food Chemistry Research Group at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).

She is developing new technological processes that can influence cocoa flavor at the molecular level, allowing her to get the most out of each harvest while maintaining consistent quality.

“Now that we know where the bean is coming from, which farm, which variety, we can experience a much wider flavor diversity,” she says.

Cocoa beans are traditionally fermented on the farm where they were grown.

Cocoa pods are collected and split. The pulp-covered beans are piled or stored in baskets, covered with banana or plantain leaves, and sun-dried.

Microbes in the environment degrade the pulp that surrounds the beans.

The beans are then dried by spreading them out on mats in the sun.

“Fermentation produces a wide range of quality variations. Not every fermentation is successful “Prof. Chetschik says

Poorly fermented cocoa beans have little flavor, whereas over-fermented beans have an acidic flavor.

Prof Chetschik and her team developed a new fermenting technique called “moist incubation,” in which cocoa beans are dried before being treated with a lactic acid solution containing ethanol.

“This causes the same reactions in the beans but is far easier to control,” she explains.

She says the resulting flavor is sweeter, richer, and fruitier.

ZHAW PhD student Johannes Ansgar Schlüter adds: “The process allows for the manipulation of key cocoa flavor characteristics. Simultaneously, undesirable aroma components are not formed to the same extent as in traditional fermentations.”

A better understanding of the fermentation process may be beneficial to struggling farmers.

Approximately 95% of cocoa is grown on small, family-run farms, with approximately six million cocoa farmers worldwide. Increased profits in the sector do not reach cocoa farmers due to low yield and limited power, and many farmers live in chronic poverty.

“The cocoa value chain remains unequally divided,” says Joke Aerts of Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch bean-to-bar chocolate company.

“A few large corporations profit enormously, while millions of smallholder cocoa farmers are underpaid.”

This increases the demand for low-wage labor and exploitation.

“It’s been over 20 years since the big chocolate companies pledged to eliminate child labor in cocoa,” Ms Aerts says. “The prioritization of corporate profits over human rights must end immediately.”

Cocoa farmers are also vulnerable to changing weather patterns.

According to Fairtrade International, climate change will significantly reduce the amount of land suitable for cocoa production in the near future.

According to experts, understanding the fermentation process is also critical when considering the impact of climate change on the business.

“We get a lot of rain and humidity. It is detrimental to the plantations “Carmen Magali Eraso Adarme, a cocoa farmer, says

Ms. Adarme’s cocoa plantation in Huila, Colombia, is situated on extremely sloping terrain. Access is difficult and dangerous, especially for those carrying heavy bean sacks on their backs.

Ms Adarme is collaborating with Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates and Nottingham University on a project to improve the flavor and price of their beans.

Researchers and farmers can use handheld DNA sequencing devices to examine the microbes fermenting Ms Adarme’s cocoa beans.

Fermentation can be manipulated for improved flavor with a better understanding of what drives the taste of premium chocolate.

According to Ms Vicinanza-Bedi: “We used DNA sequencing to determine what constitutes a “good flavor” of a cocoa bean. Using this data, we then teach farmers how to maximize their cocoa for the premium market.”

Ms Adarme’s harvested beans were shipped to Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates and turned into single origin bars.

Ms Adarme has been able to send her son to college and learn English as a result of the increased profits. Next, she hopes to improve the company’s transportation, making her job easier and safer.

According to Dr. David Goupaulchan, international research fellow at the University of Nottingham: “Growing cocoa is a high-risk endeavor. Due to weather, pests, and diseases, yields can vary greatly from year to year.”

Dr. Goupaulchan has been researching the microbes present during fermentation, how their growth dynamics are affected by the environment, and the role they play in flavor development. His work will be featured at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition later this year.

“The fermentation process has a significant impact on cocoa quality and flavor,” he says. “These processes, however, remain largely uncontrolled. As a result, quality varies greatly between farms.”

He explains that a better understanding of the process would result in better chocolate for consumers and higher prices for farmers.

“My hope is that we will be able to use science to modernize and revitalize the cocoa industry, as well as create sustainable livelihoods for all,” he says.

Prof Chetschik’s goal in Switzerland is to get the most out of the raw material, so that after fermentation, the cocoa requires less processing or additives.

“Cocoa has a strong flavor. There are so many flavor-active molecules that nothing needs to be added “she claim