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Is chocolate about to have an indulgence makeover?

Researchers who have replicated the traditional on-farm fermentation process behind chocolate’s flavour in a lab say they hope their work could herald “a new era in chocolate production”.

Published in the Nature Microbiology journal, the research, from the UK’s University of Nottingham, identified the core factors that affect chocolate’s rich and intense flavour. It unveiled opportunities for microbes in chocolate production, indicating how manufacturers can modify their formulations to create consistent, high-quality products.

“The discoveries we have made are really important for helping chocolate producers to be able to consistently maximise their cocoa crops as we have shown they can rely on measurable markers such as specific pH, temperature, and microbial dynamics, to reliably predict and achieve consistent flavour outcomes,” said first author Dr David Gopaulchan, from the university’s School of Biosciences.

Consumers still want chocolate

The US is the biggest revenue generator for the chocolate sphere, accumulating $24 billion (€21 billion) – around one-sixth of global chocolate spending. However, the tariffs and inflation have led to a drop in snack purchasing and indulgence buys, signalling the need for manufacturers to hone their chocolate formulations to maximise appeal.

With calls for the Trump administration to rethink its policy on sugar, and opt for less instead of different sugar in formulations, it raises the question: could interest in indulgence be waning? And if it is, will the rest of the globe follow suit?

Not according to the latest data. Chocolate is the most popular category in the global confectionery market. In 2025, revenue for chocolate-based products is expected to reach $140 billion, with projections indicating it will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.89% between 2025 and 2030.

While consumers are increasingly scouring the aisles for healthier alternatives from the better-for-you category, they also want indulgence from rich, tasty products and sensorial eating experiences.

However, as stretched budgets cause consumers to cut back, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to develop novel product offerings and enhance existing formulations.

Fine-tuning the fermentation process

The scientists found the key components that influence chocolate flavour during the cocoa bean fermentation process.

They analysed how elements of the fermentation process, like cacao bean temperature, pH, and microbial communities, interact with one another and how this influences chocolate’s flavour.

Exploring both microbial species and metabolic traits linked to appealing chocolate flavouring, they found that both abiotic factors, like temperature and pH, and biotic factors, which refer to microbial communities, impact flavour.

Chocolate’s flavour is, in part, influenced by factors that shape the cacao bean during the pre- and post-harvest phases of development. Fermentation is the first stage of the post-harvest process, proving critical to how chocolate develops its aroma, how complex its flavour becomes and how successfully the process lowers the final product’s bitterness.

In the study, researchers explained that fermentation is a natural, microbe-driven process that is spontaneous and largely uncontrolled. Farmers, therefore, have minimal input over which of the microbes drive the cacao bean development and the direction of the fermentation process.

“As a result, fermentation, and thus the flavour and quality of the beans, varies widely between harvests, farms, regions, and countries,” said Gopaulchan.

Aiming to understand whether the traditional fermentation process could be replicated in a laboratory, the researchers teamed up with Colombian farmers to understand the factors that influence cacao flavour. They developed a lab-based fermentation process and defined a microbial community built up of bacteria and fungi.

A method to maximise cocoa crops

The researchers’ aim was to ensure the synthetic fermentation community captured the typical chemical and sensory outcomes of the more traditional process. They found that it successfully replicated the dynamics of on-farm fermentations and created chocolate with the same fine-flavour attributes.

Identifying how to optimise the fermentation process and cacao bean development offers growers and the chocolate industry the opportunity to move away from a spontaneous, uncontrolled fermentation process and instead to a standardised, science-driven method.

Similar to how cheese and beer manufacturers transformed their production processes with starter cultures, the study’s researchers hope their findings will show how using microbes and data can shape cocoa fermentation.

“By effectively domesticating the fermentation process, this work lays the foundation for a new era in chocolate production, where defined starter cultures can standardise fermentation, unlock novel flavour possibilities, and elevate chocolate quality on a global scale,” Gopaulchan added.