Cocoa Polyphenols Now Cultured from Plant Cells

DianaPlantSciences (Portland, OR) is using its plant cell culture technology to produce high-value cocoa polyphenol ingredients. The resulting product will be marketed as Cocovanol cocoa actives, and it could provide an appealing alternative to traditional cocoa.

“Because it's produced through plant cell culture technology, Cocovanol doesn't impact the existing supply of cocoa for traditional food use,” says company president Marc Philouze. “The process is just like growing individual plants in a greenhouse or field, only we're growing individual cells in bioreactors. It just takes less space and fewer resources.”

DianaPlantSciences says its process utilizes only non-GMO methods. The resulting product can be standardized for large amounts of polyphenols and flavanols with minimal caffeine and theobromine.