Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are working with California Cultured, a Sacramento based food-tech company, to keep chocolate affordable and sustainable by growing everyone's favorite treat directly from plant cells.
According to a 2024 report from the National Confectioners Association, 65% of U.S. consumers consume chocolate as an affordable treat, driving $21.4 billion in confectionery sales. By 2029, U.S. chocolate sales are projected to reach $37.6 billion.
However, cacao, the plant that gives us cocoa, is rapidly declining. Climate change-related excessive heat, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and flooding have already caused significant cocoa crop failures in Ivory Coast, the world's leading producer of cocoa beans. Farmers are seeing lower yields, dying trees and in some cases total harvest loss. A 2025 study projects that up to 50% of the current cocoa‑growing areas in Ivory Coast could become unsuitable by 2060 due to shifting temperature and rainfall patterns.
While the data may taste bitter to chocolate lovers, scientists may have just found a sweet spot to tackle the challenge: Enter cultured chocolate.
Steve Lang, vice president of science and technology at California Cultured, believes that chocolate grown in bioreactors could one day challenge the real thing without the deforestation, child labor and climate vulnerability that plague cacao farming.
With grants from the National Science Foundation and BioMADE, California Cultured and UC Davis scientists Karen McDonald, Somen Nandi, David Block, Harishankar Manikantan, Boon-Ling Yeo and Juliana de Moura-Bell are aiming to reduce cost drivers for cultured chocolate. Specifically, UC Davis labs will work with California Cultured to optimize prototype bioreactor geometries and operations to reduce costs.
Rise of cellular foods
As the debate around cultivated meat and plant-based proteins continues to swirl, a different technology is emerging: plant cell suspension culture.
Plant cell cultures can produce edible cells - think chocolate, coffee, berries, even walnut embryos - without the land, water or climate risks of traditional agriculture. They can also generate pigments, flavors, sweeteners and proteins that are chemically identical to their plant-grown counterparts.
Last year, at a talk hosted by iCAMP (Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein), McDonald, distinguished professor emerita in the Department of Chemical Engineering, argued that this decades-old biotechnology could become one of the most versatile production platforms of cellular agriculture.
What are plant cell cultures?
While whole plant protein extraction, animal cell culture and fungal/yeast fermentation are often the main production routes for alternative protein and cultivated meat, plant cell bioreactor cultures are playing an increasingly significant role in the sustainable production of foods and key food ingredients.
The approach relies on dedifferentiated plant cells (as well as more organized tissues such as plant embryos and even whole small aquatic plants such as duckweed) that can be grown in liquid media, using simple ingredients like sucrose, salts, vitamins and plant hormones. Unlike whole plants, these cells don't need sunlight. They grow in the dark, metabolizing sugar, and can be propagated indefinitely.
"They're maintained using plant growth-regulating hormones," McDonald explained. Because the cells grow in sterile, controlled environments, they're insulated from drought, pests, heavy metals and other agricultural hazards and provide a food-safe product. They also avoid the inefficiencies of field-grown crops, such as discarding the stems, leaves, or roots.
Scientific challenges
Despite the advancements in technology, the field faces several significant challenges. Traditional bioreactors are prohibitively expensive to purchase and operate for food products. California Cultured has developed low-cost alternative bioreactors suited specifically to plant cell cultivation. UC Davis plant cell culture expertise will contribute to validating prototype designs, improving cleaning and sterilization techniques and assessing advances in commercial viability.
Recent work by California Cultured demonstrated proof of concept for growing Theobromo cacao cell culture in novel large-scale (1600 L) bioreactors. Researchers are also working to develop food-safe growth media, improve strain productivity and understand the sensory and nutritional properties of cultured plant cells. Lang anticipates commercial cocoa powder production to start in early 2027 to fulfill their first purchase order from a chocolate company.
