The future of cocoa

MycoTechnology, a food technology startup, has developed two new innovations that could shape the future of cocoa. Earlier this year it developed a method for reducing sugar requirements in cocoa by up to 70 per cent using its mushroom technology to consume the bitterness. It now claims to have solved the bitter, metallic, aftertaste problem found in stevia.

“All natural, high-intensity sweeteners have always been plagued with undesirable flavour profiles. We have made it possible to use stevia in food and beverages including chocolate that were previously not feasible” says Alan Hahn CEO and founder of MycoTechnology.

The process, MycoZyme, works by harnessing the natural enzymes found in gourmet mushrooms that break down the bitter compounds found in the stevia plant. The process is all natural, non-GMO and chemical free and works on a variety of leaves, extracts and powders.

Using stevia has always been a challenge for the chocolate industry since the bitter metallic aftertaste becomes more amplified when used with cocoa. MycoTechnology claims that it is possible to create desirable flavour profiles with chocolate using MycoZyme processed stevia.

Earlier this year, MycoTechnology announced its bitterness reduction methods for cocoa, claiming that manufacturers can use 70 per cent less sugar and achieve comparable flavour profiles. Hahn states: “We have identified that catechins found in chocolate are the molecules responsible for bitterness – our MycoSmooth process targets these compounds and greatly reduces them.”

Their flagship process MycoSmooth, uses gourmet mushrooms and trains them to consume only the catechins and harmful toxins that are naturally present in cocoa. The mushrooms symbiotically give back valuable nutrients in the form of beta-Glucans, which are known to help modulate the immune system.

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One response to “The future of cocoa”

  1. Thomas Edmonds says:

    Sounds like the Holy Grail!
    Where can I sample this chocolate?

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