“Sabah: The Gourmet Chocolate Capital of the World” – Tues 14th July 2009

Background Information

The goal of cocoa breeding has traditionally been to create clones with superior agronomic traits (yield, disease and insect resistance, etc.). But Malaysia may have a poor future  producing simply cheap bulk beans. Labor and land are too expensive. Although we are the most efficient cocoa producer in the world, we cannot compete indefinitely with Third World producers, especially if bean prices dip. The Malaysian cocoa industry must set itself apart from the crowd. This was the inspiration for the Malaysian Cocoa Board Center for Cocoa Biotechnology Research to create separate populations of “Malaysian Signature Cocoa” trees. MSC populations are being developed by unleashing the genetic power of the cocoa tree using MCB’s own “Time Tunnel Technology.” TTT is allowing MCB scientists to leapfrog decades into the future with regard to creating cocoa trees that bear totally unique and high-value beans with attributes such as extreme cocoa flavor, extreme flavor notes (nutty, fruity, floral, etc.), high flavan-3-ols for cardiovascular health chocolate, and high caffeine for cocoa drinks with a “kick.” No genetic modification (GM) technology is involved, so the entire world will welcome products from these innovative beans. Because R&D is being done in Sabah, because it is still the major cocoa-growing region in Malaysia, and because we still have growers that are “bonded” to cocoa – cultivation was introduced into Malaysia through Sabah a half century ago by Teck Guan – Sabah is poised to revitalize and revolutionize the cocoa industry and become the Gourmet Chocolate Capital of the World. To realize this, we need also to manufacture our own chocolates from our own beans. Dr. Douglas Furtek, the Biotechnology Specialist at MCB, will discuss in layman terms the creation of Malaysian Signature Cocoa and the consequences for Sabah. The future is indeed spectacular for cocoa in Sabah.

Bio-Data