Swiss scientists have developed a new recipe for chocolate that uses a sweetener made from cocoa pod husks instead of sugar. If the substitution catches on, their study claims it could make the sweet treat far healthier while providing cocoa growers with a new stream of income.
Recently published in the scientific journal Nature, the study describes “repurposing the often-discarded pectin-rich cocoa pod endocarp and converting it into a gel.” In other words, mashing up the pods’ pulp and husks to create a sweet fibrous ingredient – potentially removing the need for regular sugar, a major contributor to diabetes and other health issues.
A so-called ‘whole-fruit’ chocolate manufacturing process also combats waste, as cocoa pods are normally discarded. This provides cocoa farmers, who are often very poor, with another stream of income.
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While the sweetening gel has the potential to reduce the amount of land and water resources the chocolate industry requires, the study says it also brings environmental downsides.
Processing cocoa pod husks increases greenhouse gas emissions due to the large amount of drying required – though solar energy was suggested as a means of potentially helping alleviate the rise. “Future studies with more empirical data,” are needed to assess the overall impact, the study’s authors acknowledged.
Through its reliance on cocoa farming, chocolate is notoriously harmful to the environment. Most of the harm is done through deforestation to clear land for cocoa crops.
