Deciphering the cocoa genome will help develop the chocolate industry



    In 2008, IBM and Mars formed a joint team to work on decoding the cocoa genotype. It is worth noting that the decoding of the plant genotype is not new. Scientists have already received a map of the genome of rice, mustard and some other plants, including cocoa (2010).

    Decryption of the cocoa genome was carried out in order to help the cocoa growing industry to get healthier, resistant to negative external factors plants. The initial phase of this work ended with an interesting result: it turns out that the part of the genome responsible for the color of the plant can be an indicator of plant health, as well as the taste of cocoa beans.

    Why does the cocoa / chocolate industry need support?

    • About 70% of the current cocoa harvest comes from equatorial Africa;
    • 2 million small cocoa farms in West Africa depend on this plant;
    • 1/3 of cocoa plantations in Africa disappear due to droughts, pests and fungal diseases;
    • In the US alone, the chocolate industry is losing $ 800 million as a result of the above problems.

    How genome analysis was carried out



    In order to sequence the genetic material of cocoa, scientists took samples of leaves, pods and some other parts of the plant, sending it all to the laboratory of the US Agricultural Research Service (US Department of Agriculture). The DNA sequencer isolated the nucleotides necessary for analysis. Well, the work of IBM, Mars, and the Department of Agriculture was already getting a genome map. The work on deciphering the cocoa genotype took three years, during the work more than 30 thousand genes were decoded.

    After that, computer systems began to analyze these genes, using algorithms to identify specific patterns of genes. During the research, the team worked with samples of cocoa tissues from different parts of the world, trying to compare the genome of different types of cocoa, to identify critical sections of the genome that are responsible for the properties of this plant that are important for humans, including taste, resistance to disease, lack of moisture, and other factors.



    According to Dr. Laxmi Parida, Head of Computer Genomics at IBM, the hardest part is finding the genes responsible for the phenotype . A breakthrough can be called the definition of genes responsible for the color of the pod.

    Color, taste and genes



    Scientists, during their long work on sequencing the cocoa genome, were able not only to identify the genes responsible for the color of the cocoa pod, but also to understand where these genes are located in the cocoa DNA.

    Then the genes were labeled as "good" (for the genes responsible for the green color of the pod), and "bad" (genes responsible for the red color). It turns out that cocoa grains from green pods give a good taste, and red grains give a bad one.



    Now, with the help of the information received, you can get the best types of cocoa in a very short period of time. Previously, work to develop a quality cocoa species took years and years. Among other things, scientists are working to develop not only cocoa species that produce good-tasting fruits, but also species that are resistant to negative external influences.

    IBM's role in research



    The corporation has developed algorithms for identifying genome regions and individual genes in order to determine those genes that are responsible for the plant phenotype. This allows Mars to do effective work to improve cocoa flavor and plant resistance to external factors.

    As for the algorithms developed by IBM , they are open to any community of researchers.

    The cocoa genome has also been made publicly available, and a website has been created for the project .

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