Nestle unveils method to boost cocoa yields as climate change hits

Faced with climate change diminishing farmers' yields, Nestle announced Wednesday that it was working on a technique to produce chocolate by using up to 30 percent more of the cocoa fruit.

Chocolate is traditionally made using only cocoa beans taken from inside the pod, meaning that a large amount of the fruit -- including the pulp, placenta and pod husk -- "remains largely unused", the Swiss food giant said.

Its researchers have "developed a patented technique that leverages all parts of the fruit inside the cocoa pod", it said.

Everything inside the pod is collected as a wet mass that then ferments naturally, "unlocking the key chocolate flavour", Nestle said.

"The mass is then ground, roasted and dried into chocolate flakes which can be used to make chocolate without compromising th