Peruvian Cacao Collection Podcast
(Time: ~2:15 minutes)

Chocolates are always in demand--from Valentine's Day and beyond. In the chocolate world, the fastest growing segment of the industry is fine-flavored, high-end chocolates. Until now, the source of these specialized confections has been largely limited to small regions of Venezuela and Ecuador.

Hi, I'm Sharon Durham with the Agricultural Research Service or A-R-S … the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

The cacao tree produces beans used to make chocolate. These trees usually grow along rivers in tropical regions. But, during a collection expedition in 2008 through the Amazon Basin of Peru ARS researchers and collaborators uncovered an exceptional find-- very old cacao trees at higher elevations in Peru. Normally, cacao trees grow along the rivers in Peru. Due to this trip's success, researchers went back to Peru and collected more material in 2009. 

A-R-S scientists at the Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory and the Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, along with Peruvian collaborators, came away with 342 new cacao tree samples from these trips. Among these samples was the discovery of three new varieties that were previously unknown to science. They have found some new cacao with unique flavors that are distinctively Peruvian. These unique flavors may one day be marketed in the same way as wine-by geographical region.

A-R-S scientists are also evaluating these cacao plants as potential sources of resistance to common cacao diseases that can cause yield losses. 

These expeditions collectively represent one of the largest efforts ever conducted to search for wild cacao…and hopefully one day could lead to a new line of fine chocolates….a chocolate connoisseur's dream come true.

That's our podcast for today. Have a great day and enjoy some chocolate!