Can chocolate be made healthier?

Chocolate is mainly made up of cocoa mass and cocoa butter extracted from the cocoa fruit. However, it is less known that the fruit contains additional valuable ingredients that have been historically underutilised.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have joined forces with start-up Koa and Swiss chocolate manufacturer Felchlin to investigate the potential for maximising the use of cocoa fruit. They sought to create a product that would increase the cultivation's profitability while making chocolate a healthier indulgence.

Finding the perfect recipe

Kim Mishra, lead author of the study, compared the cocoa fruit to the honeydew melon. She said, “These fruits have similar structures. Both have a hard outer shell that reveals the flesh of the fruit when cut open, as well as the cocoa beans or melon seeds and pulp in the interior.”