Four new genetic varieties of cocoa discovered in Peru

The study, carried out by scientists from the Cocoa Research Center of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago and the Toribio Rodríguez National University of Mendoza, in Peru, analyzed the diversity of Peruvian cocoa. The results have been published in PLOS One.

Cocoa beans are the backbone of the global multi-billion dollar chocolate industry. In Peru, the eighth largest cocoa producer, more than 80,000 farming families depended on cocoa cultivation in 2024.

Many Peruvian farms grow wild and semi-wild cocoa varieties that have not been significantly altered by means such as selective breeding or genetic engineering.

Previous research suggested that native cocoa trees grown in Peru and other countries could be divided into 10 groups, based on their genetic diversity, but recent studies have cast doubt on this distribution, and few studies have focused specifically on Peru.

To deepen your understanding of the topic, The team analyzed the genetic diversity of 390 wild and semi-wild cocoa trees grown on native farms in various regions of the country.

Specifically, they looked for single-letter differences in the DNA code of individual trees to clarify their genetic diversity and classify them into genetically similar groups.

The analysis revealed four previously unidentified genetic groups, adding to the ten known ones. Some of the trees analyzed belonged to a single pure group, while others were mixtures.

Besides, discovered that different regions of Peru had their own distinctive genetic “signatures”which highlights small-scale geographical differences in the genetic composition of cultivated cocoa trees.

Two of the four new groups have ancestry that suggests they could produce beans of especially high quality and excellent flavor.

The analysis also helped clarify the ancestry of a particular cocoa variety known as CCN 51, which was deliberately bred for high yield and disease resistance, and which is of increasing economic importance.

The researchers believe these findings could help conservation efforts and improve the Peruvian cocoa industry.

The characterization of these four new groups suggests that Peru harbors unique genetic resources that could be explored for valuable traits for the cocoa and chocolate market.

For the authors, The study reveals that “while Peru’s cocoa trees share a common genetic thread throughout the country, each region harbors a unique genetic signature and we have successfully identified four completely new cocoa lineages.”. “This map not only reshapes our understanding of Peru’s genetic landscape, but provides a tangible new resource for conservation and the fine flavor chocolate industry.”

One of the most rewarding aspects was working directly with native trees on farms in eight extremely different departments, from the lowlands of the Amazon to the foothills of the Andes, the authors say.

“It was revealing to realize that these invaluable genetic treasures were not locked in a laboratory. They were, literally, growing in farmers’ backyards, waiting to be characterized and valued for the premium market,” they emphasize.