Gopaulchan David, Moore Christopher, Ali Naailah, Sukha Darin, Florez González Sergio Leonardo, Herrera Rocha Fabio Esteban, Yang Ni, Lim Mui, Dew Tristan P, González Barrios Andrés Fernando, Umaharan Pathmanathan, Salt David E, Castrillo Gabriel
Future Food Beacon of Excellence, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Nottingham, UK.
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Nottingham, UK.
Nat Microbiol. 2025 Aug 18. doi: 10.1038/s41564-025-02077-6.
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) bean fermentation is a spontaneous process involving interactions between abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to the final flavours of chocolate. Understanding these underlying interactions could enable desired flavour profiles to be reproduced under controlled conditions. Here, using bean fermentation samples from Colombian farms, we established that pH, temperature and microbiota composition, including both bacteria and fungi, influence key flavour attributes of premium chocolate. Genome-resolved metagenomics revealed that metabolic traits necessary for the development of the flavour profile of chocolate are redundantly present in the fermentation microbial community. Using a defined and metabolically competent microbial consortium, the feasibility of replicating fine flavour attributes of chocolate under controlled conditions was confirmed via omics, metabolic networks and a trained tasting panel. Our results provide the basis for the design of fermentation starters to robustly reproduce fine chocolate characteristics.
可可（Theobroma cacao L.）豆发酵是一个自发过程，涉及非生物和生物因素之间的相互作用，这些相互作用会影响巧克力的最终风味。了解这些潜在的相互作用可以使人们在可控条件下重现所需的风味特征。在这里，我们使用来自哥伦比亚农场的可可豆发酵样本，确定了pH值、温度和微生物群组成（包括细菌和真菌）会影响优质巧克力的关键风味属性。基因组解析宏基因组学表明，巧克力风味特征形成所需的代谢特性在发酵微生物群落中大量存在。通过使用一个明确且具有代谢活性的微生物联合体，借助组学、代谢网络和经过训练的品尝小组，证实了在可控条件下复制巧克力精细风味属性的可行性。我们的研究结果为设计发酵起始剂以稳定重现优质巧克力特征提供了依据。
