Chocaholics rejoice! Genome research may deliver a better cocoa bean
Sweet source: cocoa beans in a cacao pod.
(USDA photo by Keith Weller)
Now, here's a project important enough to make a major government agency, a major chocolate maker and a technology powerhouse unite: research to discover better ways to grow even better cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate.
Along with that taste of good news, we must also give you the downside: it may be awhile before an improved elixir from their work soothes the chocolate craving. Researchers say their work may take five years.
The US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), chocolate maker Mars and IBM will pool scientific resources to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Understanding the cocoa genome may allow more efficient breeding of cocoa plants and enhance the quality of the chocolate's source, cocoa.
Historic nibble:
In the 18th century, cocoa was named "Theobroma Cacao" by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus. "Theobroma" is a Greek word that can be translated "food of the gods". The word for cacao (cocoa in Spanish) is thought to have been used by the Olmec Indians of South America, about 1,000 BCE. Adventurer Hernan Cortes brought the later Aztec version, a spicy, bitter, frothy drink, to Europe where a bit of sugar was added and popularity led to plantings in Africa, where it remains a significant crop especially along the Ivory Coast.
Genome sequencing may help farmers could plant better quality cocoa and realize healthier, stronger cocoa crops with higher yields, pest and disease resistance, and increased water and nutrient use efficiency. That is especially important in Africa, where 70 percent of the world's cocoa is produced.
"Sequencing the genomes of agriculture crops is a critical step if we want to better understand and improve a crop," said Judy St. John, USDA-ARS Deputy Administrator for Crop Production and Protection.
"This collaboration is an opportunity for us to apply our computational biology and supercomputing expertise to help improve an economically important agricultural crop," said Dr. Mark Dean, IBM Fellow and vice president, Technical Strategy and Global Operations, IBM Research. "IBM Research is interested in enhancing and supporting growth and development in Africa, where 70 percent of the world's cocoa is produced. We look forward to helping the agricultural community in Africa, and in other emerging markets."
Cocoa has been the subject of little agricultural research compared to other major crops such as corn, wheat and rice. And while cocoa is not grown in the U.S., for every dollar of cocoa imported, between one and two dollars of domestic agricultural products are used in the manufacture of chocolate products.
- To learn more and to see a video report, go to:
USDA-ARS, Mars and IBM Intend to Sequence and Study the Cocoa Genome (press release and video report)