Switzerland is making a chocolate revolution: manufacturers have invented a new type of delicacy

The Swiss are convinced that the new technology will make chocolate production more ecological
Nutrition scientists in Switzerland have come up with a new way to make chocolate that uses the entire cacao fruit, not just the beans, and uses absolutely no sugar. The BBC writes about it.
Chocolate, developed at the prestigious Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich by a group of scientists led by Kim Mishra, includes the pulp of the cocoa fruit, juice and endocarp (the layer around the seed).
This process has already attracted the attention of companies engaged in the production of environmentally sustainable food products. They explain that in traditional chocolate production using only beans, the rest of the fruit – the size of a small pumpkin and full of nutrients – is left to rot in the fields.
The secret of making a new type of chocolate lies in the very sweet juice of the cocoa fruit. According to developer Kim Mishra, it has a bright fruity taste that is a bit like pineapple.
This juice, containing 14% sugar, undergoes a distillation process to form a highly concentrated syrup. Then this syrup is mixed with the pulp and the dried endocarp is added there (the inner layer that directly surrounds the seed, in the fruits of plants - "Glaucom"). Thus, the process is made as ecological as possible, that is, no part of the fruit is lost.
The result is a very sweet and thick cocoa jelly. When combined with cocoa beans for chocolate, this jelly acts as sugar, that is, it is no longer necessary to use additional sweeteners. Mishra believes his invention continues a long line of innovation that Swiss chocolate makers are proud of.
Mishra's partner in his project was the company KOA, a Swiss startup engaged in ecologically sustainable cocoa cultivation. Its co-founder, Anian Schreiber, believes that using the entire cacao fruit will help solve many of the industry's problems, from rising prices for cocoa beans to the overwhelming poverty of farmers. "Instead of figuring out who gets a piece of the cake, you can make the cake itself bigger - and everyone benefits from that," he explains.
The connection between chocolate production and environmental protection is also important. Yes, a third of all farmers' produce "never reaches our table." With regard to chocolate, this ratio is even worse, since only beans are used in its production, and the main part of the fruit is thrown away.
Since the food industry accounts for a large part of greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the amount of waste can go a long way in the fight against climate change.

In Switzerland, some major manufacturers, including Lindt, are starting to use whole cocoa beans, but none of them has yet taken the step to completely abandon sugar. "We need to find brave chocolate makers who want to challenge the market and contribute to creating more sustainable chocolate. Then we can destroy the system," says Mishra.
As the publication writes, perhaps such brave manufacturers can be found in Switzerland, whose chocolate industry produces 200,000 tons of chocolate every year, earning about $2 billion from it.