Milk chocolate bars that use cocoa butter grown in the lab have been developed by a food tech startup.

With the promise of reducing reliance on traditional cocoa farming, the chocolate bars from the startup Celleste Bio were produced using cell-cultured cocoa butter, which the developers suggest is bio-identical to conventional versions, delivering the same texture and melt profile.

Source: Celleste Bio

The startup explained that the chocolate was created using cell suspension culture technology, wherein cocoa cells were grown in controlled environments to mimic the compounds found in naturally grown cocoa.

Rather than originating on plantations, this process starts in the lab with a tiny sample from a cocoa bean, the cells of which are then grown in bioreactors and fed nutrients to multiply and produce cocoa butter.

The team explained that the ability to produce cocoa without relying entirely on farms could help stabilize supply chains and reduce environmental impact, particularly in regions affected by climate stress and deforestation