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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Scientists claim to have unlocked ‘secret sauce’ needed for fine chocolate

Cocoa beans and raw chocolate
Researchers used genetic sequencing to identify the microbes involved in cocoa bean fermentation from multiple sites in Colombia and beyond. Photograph: Carlos Ortega/EPA

Whether you enjoy an aromatic bar with notes of caramel or something less fancy, chocolate can have many tastes. Now researchers say they have shed fresh light on a key ingredient that could open the door to new flavours.

They claim to have unpicked how and why the bacteria and fungi involved in the fermentation of cocoa beans influence the flavour of chocolate.

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