CHOCOLATE - TASTY SIDE OF THE BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY

Quentin Vanderauwera (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

Björn Becker/Julia Mikerova, (Mike&Becky)

Chocolate production is a part of ever increasing importance in the food industry, accounting for billions of euros in revenue worldwide. The main ingredient of chocolate is cocoa, produced in a multi-step process from cocoa beans. This process, however, is still very artisanal & inefficient, which can cause significant losses for the local bean farmers. A microbiological research approach could help improve the consistency of the cocoa fermentation process & therefore help the chocolate industry grow even further.

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Every month we set the stage for scientists & producers to take you with them on a journey into the large world of fermentation. Each talk will highlight a different part of fermentation, from barrel ageing & cheese making to wines, ciders & vinegars.

During these TIN TALKS we provide some tasters for you to enjoy.

TIN TALKS are held in English.

TIN TALKS are curated by Tin Kocijan, PhD student at KU Leuven investigating the microbial ecology of barrel ageing of conventionally fermented beers in order to produce sour beers with a distinctive & layered flavour profile.