Mars funds €6m research to guard world’s chocolate
A US Department of Agriculture team based in Miami, Florida, funded with more than €6.3 million from Mars, will analyse the more than 400 million parts of the cocoa genome, a process that could help battle crippling crop diseases and even lead to better-tasting chocolate.
Fungal diseases are believed to cost cocoa farmers an estimated €442m annually. The analysis will not only identify what traits make cacao trees susceptible, but it will allow scientists — and chocolate makers — to better understand every aspect of cocoa, from its ability to sustain drought to the way it tastes.
