Scientists create chocolate flavor with microbes : Short Wave : NPR

Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective.

The majority of chocolate farms are found in West Africa and South America – just 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each farm produces chocolate of a different flavor. Some cocoa tastes fruitier; others, more floral. Nutty. Earthy. Spicy.

But what drives these different flavor profiles? And can it be recreated in a lab?

A team led by scientists at the University of Nottingham in the UK sought to find out and published their results in the journal Nature Microbiology this week.

Research fellow David Gopalchan said the research began when the team sampled microbes from three different cocoa farms in Colombia. Microbes play a critical role in the fe