Alt-choc innovation
One of the most exciting developments is the rise of so-called ‘cocoa-free’ chocolate. Companies like WNWN Food Labs and Swiss startup KOA are creating chocolate-like products using fermentation processes and plant-based ingredients that mimic the taste and texture of cocoa.
California Cultured, a plant cell culture company, recently opened a new facility in West Sacramento, California.
It plans to start selling its products in 2025 and is betting on chocolate's future success being grown in the lab as well as on farms across the equator. The company's chief executive, Alan Perlstein, claims that it puts cocoa bean cells in a vat with sugar water so they reproduce quickly and reach maturity in a week rather than the six to eight months a traditional harvest takes.
The company has reportedly struck a 10-year deal with Japan’s Meiji to supply flavanol cocoa powder to the business and its packaged goods.
“We see that there’s technology that can meet all these criteria for corporates and customers—and how can we make food more delicious and healthy simultaneously,” said Perlstein.
Digital cocoa fermentation monitoring
New start-ups such as Cooko are already experimenting with this technological advancement. It comes from digital monitoring tools used during cocoa fermentation, a crucial step in flavour development. Companies are developing sensors and software to monitor fermentation conditions more precisely, ensuring consistency in the quality and flavour of the beans. This leads to a more predictable and high-quality chocolate-making process.
‘Super-hero’ cocoa
Earlier this month, Reuters reported on ‘high hopes in Israel for 'superhero' cocoa that survived frontline conditions.’
Israeli researchers were working on a more resilient strain of the cocoa plant that could help alleviate a global shortage of the bean. Then, in October 2023, conflict erupted in Gaza, and the facility was shut down for three months.
When they returned, they discovered that 140 seedlings had survived without electricity or irrigation. While the team had not planned on testing the selected cocoa strains specifically for drought resistance, they may have found just that, Reuters reported.
"It's a very unusual result to find a strain that can withstand 3-1/2 months of drought as new fresh seedlings and severe cold front," said Ellen Graber, a senior principal scientist at the Volcani Institute. "It means that we may be able to develop strains that can expand the growing regions for cocoa."
Graber now plans to clone the surviving plants—which she refers to as ‘superheroes’—test them for other qualities, such as resistance to pests, and identify the genes responsible for their resilience.
The whole fruit ... and nothing bu the fruit
Although not an entirely new innovation (Barry Callebaut may want to take credit with the launch of its WholeFruit Chocolate in 2021), news came in this week that The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has developed a form of chocolate without using any sugar by using the entire cocoa fruit rather than the beans.
Swiss scientists developed chocolate using techniques similar to those of Barry Callebaut. The new chocolate contains a juice that tastes "very fruity, a bit like pineapple," Kim Mishra, one of the scientists, told BBC News.
The Institute was partnered with KOA, a Swiss start-up working in sustainable cocoa growing. Its co-founder, Anian Schreiber, said using all of the cocoa fruit could solve many of the cocoa industry’s problems, from the soaring price of cocoa beans to endemic poverty among cocoa farmers.
"‘Instead of fighting over who gets how much of the cake, you make the cake bigger and make everybody benefit," he explained to the BBC.
The juice is distilled down to form a highly concentrated sy, combined with the pulp, and mixed with the dry husk of the cocoa fruit to create a cocoa gel. The gel is then added to the cocoa beans to make chocolate.
According to the BBC, this form of chocolate making can solve many problems in the chocolate industry, such as unethical practices, sustainability, and environmental damage.
"The farmers get significantly extra income through utilising cocoa pulp, but also the important industrial processing is happening in the country of origin. Creating jobs, creating value that can be distributed in the country of origin," said Mishra.
Terry’s fans see red over new chocolate orange
Not all recent innovations have been welcomed. Heritage brand Terry's Chocolate has been criticized for launching a controversial new flavour, which has caused consternation among loyal consumers.
Terry's Chocolate Orange has been a cherished Christmas staple in the UK since its introduction in 1932. Carambar now produces the former York-based brand in Strasbourg, France. The brand has sparked controversy among its loyal followers with the unveiling of its latest product, Terry's Chocolate Milk Ball.
This new confectionery, available in all major UK retailers from October for £2, is essentially a chocolate orange without the orange, cheekily referred to as a 'norange,' according to the Mail Online.
The move has provoked fans to respond on social media with one comment that sums up their mood: 'Why are they messing with a Terry's chocolate orange'.
Terry's confirmed that the new flavour will not be a limited-edition release. Along with the orange flavour, it's a permanent member of Terry's Chocolate Ball family and will be available beyond the festive season.