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Post by bimmyjond on Oct 7, 2008 19:21:51 GMT -5
Hey, I'm sort of a lurker here, not actually making chocolate yet, but I figured you guys would appreciate this: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27073996/For chocolate lovers: more kinds of cacao 10 genetic types of the plant exist, scientists have discovered Peace.
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Post by cacaufarmer on Oct 8, 2008 5:51:10 GMT -5
I read the MSNBC web with some interest as I am a cacao producer. In reality, the reported findings are not completely accurate. Although there have been many geneticist scuring around the DNA of cacao for some time there exist no reliable means for " restructuring cacao by recipe". I have been a participant in a genoma mapping project for 8 years and the jury is still out on its merits. We are in partnership with CEPLAC, a Brasilian Governmental agency that specializes in cacao research. Our objectives have been to find or create a variety that will have immunity to "witches broom" and offer elevated productions. Using DNA mapping and grafting we have more than 150 different "varieties" in a test plot. The project has developed promising new variations but to date is simply an attempt to provide a better "mousetrap". It is an extremely complex and costly endeavor when you begin to tinker with DNA predictions. In addition to the variables encountered there is a time factor. We are, after 8 years, beginning to select specimens with promise. Once that has been done, you must create literally millions of clones of the selected product, graft that material to root stock and wait another 5 years to determine it's effectiveness. Along the way you encounter the outside pressures of weather, method of grafting, type of root stock utilized, soil conditions, farm management techniques, and hope for the best. Our farm(s) have approximately 500,000 producing cocao trees....you can imagine the logistics and cost of grafting that quantity of root stock. A single worker can perform grafts on approx 80 trees per day.
I would be very happy to see the "silver bullet" provided by science but for the moment, the only substitute is rigid phitosanitary management of the farm, more rigid quality control in post-harvest processes and pray that the multinational cartel does not decide the market needs price suppression. Cacao farms are a net-net loss and until the magic formula comes out of the book, will be the occupation of persons intrigued with providing chocolate to the world. The real estate market still is head and shoulders above cacao farm management.
I welcome any news that our forum members may run across that related to new ways to do it.
Jim Lucas cacaufarmer@yahoo.com
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Post by cacaufarmer on Oct 9, 2008 4:52:30 GMT -5
In the interest of finding more info regards the MSNBC announcement of new varieties of cacau (Theobroma cacao L), I've researched the source documents. There have in fact been very recent publications (1 Sept 08) announcing the reclassification of cacau. The cacau research group of Brasil (CEPLAC) and MARS Chocolate, jointly published findings. The document describes the identification of 10 distinct types of cacau. Until this publication, we have been under the impression that “Criollo” and “Forastero”, “Trinitario”, has been Trinatario recognized and consists of “Criollo”דForastero” hybrids. In the sphere of cacau genetics, there are speculations and hopes that the identification of this new germoplasma pool will lead to engineering techniques that will change cacao production. That withstanding, time will tell and as I indicated in the 1st post, a single generation of cacau requires 4-5 years to witness a test cycle. Those interested in reading the entire technical paper can find it at: www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003311egards Jim Lucas
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Post by rabarber on Oct 9, 2008 14:49:06 GMT -5
PDF can be downloaded here
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