Each candy or piece of chocolate may carry unique flavors shaped by the soil, rainfall, temperature of the region, and the organisms present there. Much of this flavor diversity comes from wild microbes that automatically ferment cocoa beans after harvest, says David Gopoltshan, a plant geneticist at the University of Nottingham. He adds that the genetic makeup of cocoa plants plays a role in the taste of chocolate, but “fermentation also stimulates flavor development,” as noted in the study. In the laboratory, the team collected a limited set of yeast and bacteria capable of reproducing some luxurious chocolate flavors, according to the study published in the journal Nature Microbiology on August 18. The researchers measured temperature and pH changes in the fermented cocoa beans and took molecular images of the microbes present at each stage of the process. They found that yeast is among the first organisms to feed on the chocolate bar, including the fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same fungi used in baking. Gopoltshan says that in the future, researchers may also produce microbial blends that create tailored flavors, or even new flavors that are not found or are difficult to obtain in natural fermentation.
