The DNA of chocolate has been unlocked

The Food Network has been brilliant at showcasing the most incredible James Beard award winners for excellence. However, their latest attempt at showcasing desserts on their show “Top Chef Just Desserts” , left me a bit wary. Understanding the complexities of developing recipes on the fly for desserts, can be daunting.

For example, it has taken us almost two years to perfect our entremets, and we’ve been developing and perfecting our Spring desserts for over 6 months. Some are more difficult to develop than others, but my point is that creating dessert recipes is a fine science. It’s not just about matching flavor profiles, but understand the science behind the ingredients.

I saw this blog article and had the share the latest science behind chocolate by Jonathan Bender, Thu., Dec. 30 2010 @ 8:30AM Categories: News

Great chocolatiers have always been a bit like mad scientists, and now they might just have the science to begin creating the perfect chocolate bar.

Fast Company reports that a team of French scientists has unlocked the genetic code of chocolate. And not just any chocolate, but the DNA of Theobroma cacao, a species of cacao used primarily to make gourmet dark chocolate.

By sequencing the genome of a cacao tree, the scientists should be able to create bio-engineered fine cocoa that is resistant to disease. The price of cocoa would then theoretically go down. And since cocoa is one of the main ingredients used to make chocolate, we’d be looking at cheaper fine chocolate bars. That’s the reason this study was underwritten by Hershey’s Corp. and Valrhona.

An interesting question is whether there would be a differentiation between genetically engineered cocoa and naturally occurring cocoa. The chocolate market is like the coffee market, with plenty of fair-trade and small-batch companies attempting to provide a tree to chocolate store approach.

But in a world where pest-resistant and frost-resistant crops are commonly accepted, is disease-resistent cacao really such a foreign concept? Do you care if your chocolate bar is genetically engineered if it tastes exactly the same?

[Image via Flickr: EverJean]