There is good news for chocoholics as researchers at the University of Ghana have found a way to make chocolate both tasty and nutritious. Scientists explained that cocoa undergoes several steps before it takes shape as a candy bar. The cocoa beans are removed from pods while making chocolate and fermented in baskets, sun-dried afterwards. The beans are finally roasted, which brings out the flavor.

However, some of the healthful polyphenols (antioxidants) are lost during the roasting process. Therefore, the researchers want to figure out a way in order to keep hold of as much of the polyphenols and good flavors as possible.

According to Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa from the University of Ghana, scientists have been thinking to introduce a pod-storage step before the fermentation process in order to check if that would affect the polyphenol content in any way.

The research team divided 300 ponds into 4 groups which were stored for 3, 7 or 10 days before processing or were not stored at all. This technique is called 'pulp preconditioning'.

The passing of each storage period, they performed the usual process of fermentation and drying. He reports that the seven-day storage resulted in the highest antioxidant activity after roasting.

The scientists adjusted process is to roast the beans to 45 minutes at 242 degrees Fahrenheit instead of roasting the cocoa beans for 10-20 minutes at the normal temperature (248-266 degrees Fahrenheit).

They discovered that slower roasting at a lower temperature increased the antioxidant activity compared to beans roasted with the conventional method.

Afoakwa said the beans that were stored and then roasted for 45 minutes also had more polyphenols and higher antioxidant activity than beans, whose pods were not stored prior to fermentation.

Additionally, they also found that storing cocoa pods longer and roasting them at a lower temperature reduces the bitterness, astringency and yields a sweeter chocolate.