Development of cellular agriculture for production of cocoa
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | xseed AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 284 655 |
| Project duration | October 2023 - November 2025 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovative Startups |
| Call | Innovative Impact Startups autumn 2023 |
Important results from the project
The project has developed methods for producing cocoa raw material through cell cultivation. The raw material has been refined into chocolate with some addition of conventional cocoa butter, since the fat content is lower compared to regular cocoa beans. The developed methods show strong potential as an alternative to conventional cocoa, though not fully replacing it yet. The project has also generated new contacts and deeper industry knowledge.
Expected long term effects
The project has developed methods for cultivating cocoa cells, enabling chocolate production with favourable results for flavor and aroma. With further development and commercialization, the long-term effects will reduce the climate impact of cocoa and chocolate products.
Approach and implementation
Overall, the project followed the plan and timeline, with a few notable adjustments: - Analyses and instrument setup had to be rescheduled due to issues with an external company. - Cultivation capacity was increased with a new incubator and vessel. - Problems with an unofficial partner led us to handle more of the chocolate processing in-house.