Cocoa fruits (beans) contain valuable components that have so far been underused, researchers point out. Swiss scientists have come up with a way to make chocolate healthier and more sustainable.

No *Oompa Loompas, no chocolate rivers and no magical chewing gum were involved in creating this new treat – it is simply a different way of looking at the cocoa fruit.

Normally only the cocoa beans and the pulp are used to make bars of chocolate. Researchers at the ETH Zurich Federal Institute of Technology have discovered that cocoa can be used as a substitute for granulated sugar. Their new recipe involves using the endocarp – the inner layer of the fruit's shell – and mixing it with part of the pulp that surrounds the cocoa beans to produce a sweet cocoa gel.

“This means that farmers can not only sell the beans, but also dry the pulp and the endocarp, grind them into powder and sell that,” explains Kim Mishra, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Food. “That would allow them to earn income from three value-creation streams. Creating greater value from cocoa fruits makes them more sustainable,” Mishra emphasises

How is the new Swiss chocolate made?

When it comes to a food product as desirable – as chocolate, only a close substitute for its qualities will do. To find the right recipe, the scientists had to do a great deal of experimenting in the laboratory (there were plenty of mistakes and difficulties along the way), working together with the start-up Koa and the Swiss chocolate maker Felchlin.

Too much fruit juice made the chocolate sticky, while too little meant the taste was not sweet enough. The researchers found that the product can contain up to 20% cocoa gel, which is comparable in sweetness to ordinary chocolate with around 5-10% added sugar. Ordinary dark chocolate can contain roughly 40% sugar.

The researchers consider the new chocolate to be healthier, as it has a higher fibre content and a reduced amount of saturated fat.

Why is the new chocolate recipe more sustainable?

“A cradle-to-factory life cycle assessment shows that producing this chocolate at scale could reduce land use and global warming potential compared with the average European dark chocolate production,” the researchers concluded.

They explain that the land-use change caused by agricultural production is behind more than 70% of the environmental impact of all chocolate products. Because it uses fewer cocoa beans and therefore less land, this so-called laboratory chocolate is associated with a less significant “environmental impact”. It does, however, require longer processing than average-quality European chocolate, as most of this “factory impact” comes from heating the endocarp powder. Overall, producing this chocolate has a smaller carbon footprint if it is used more widely.

The new chocolate composition is more environmentally friendly in other respects too, because it makes use of the parts of the cocoa that would otherwise end up as waste. All that is left is the shell, which is traditionally used as fuel or composting material. By including the endocarp in the production process, small-scale producers can diversify what they offer and increase their income.

How can chocolate production be scaled up?

There is still a long way to go before this more frugal kind of chocolate reaches our shops.

“Although we have shown that our chocolate is appealing and offers a similar “sensory experience” to ordinary chocolate, the entire value chain will have to adapt, starting with cocoa growers, who will need drying equipment,” says Kim Mishra. “Chocolate makers will only be able to produce and sell chocolate made with cocoa fruit more widely once food processing companies have produced enough of the powder.”

But the first step has been taken: ETH has filed a patent application for its chocolate recipe. That is a sign of the researchers' confidence in the product's attractive nutritional, socio-economic and ecological advantages.

* Characters from Roald Dahl's novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (1964) – the workers in the chocolate factory.