GM Cocoa Bean

The cocoa tree (Latin - Theobroma Cacao, which translates to “food of the gods“) only grows in humid, tropical climates, with sufficient rainfall and its cultivation limited to regions between 20° north and 20° south of the equator. The cocoa bean is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cocoa tree. The leading producers are the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia and Brazil. The seeds of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) are fermented together with the fruit, so developing the typical cocoa aroma. The cocoa beans are then dried, roasted, dehulled and broken. Further processing of the cocoa beans yields a cocoa paste, which after further handling is separated into:

· Dark-brown cocoa powder, which is the basis for chocolate and chocolate products of all types, such as chocolate-containing sweets, ice cream and drinking chocolate;

· Cocoa butter (vegetable fat), a high-value soft fat that is used in chocolate coatings, chocolates and nougat. Cocoa butter is also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to manufacture products such as ointments, lotions and lipsticks.

Research and Development in the field of Gene technology aims to improve its agronomic traits such as resistance against pathogens (fungal resistance and virus resistance), resistance against pests (insect resistance), plant development (increasing yield) and quality traits (modifying fat composition of the cocoa butter). The cocoa bean has also bean enriched with new components. For instance, the creation of the perception of a sweet taste of cocoa has been done through the insertion of the gene of a sweet-tasting African plant (Thaumatococcus daniellii) which causes the cocoa plants to produce the sweetener thaumatin.

DNA experts are working with sweet giants Mars to create genetically modified chocolate that fights heart disease and diabetes and won’t make you fat. It took two years to disentangle the cocoa tree’s 420 million units of DNA. And they claim that in another five, they could unlock the secret of how to make chocolate healthy. The scientists say the secret lies in the genetic code of the cocoa bean. The beans contain chemicals called flavonols which lower blood pressure and help keep the heart healthy. And the scientists believe they can change the DNA of the cocoa tree so it produces beans with far higher levels of flavonols. They also hope to produce beans that fight diabetes, as well as making the fat in cocoa much healthier.

Sources:

http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/database/plants/43.cocoa.html

http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2010/11/20/scientists-working-to-create-genetically-modified-chocolate-to-make-you-healthy-sure/