Scientists are trying to make a special kind of chocolate, which is expected to be healthier and tastier. They want to make the chocolate much tastier than any other chocolate available. They want a chocolate, which is more nutritious and is rich in antioxidants.

Chocolate is known to offer many health benefits, together with irresistible taste. Chocolate reduces the blood pressure and also helps lower the bad cholesterol level and reduce the risk of stroke.

It is made by using cocoa, which is processed using a complex method. After removing from cocoa tress, pods are split open and then the cocoa beans are taken out from the pods. Then these beans undergo fermentation inside banana-lined basked for many days. After that they are dried in the sun.

Some of the healthy antioxidants (polyphenols) are destroyed during the roasting process. Therefore, the scientists wanted to find out how to retain maximum antioxidants, when cocoa is processed in order to enhance the chocolate's flavor.

According to Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa at the University of Ghana, "We decided to add a pod-storage step before the beans were even fermented to see whether that would have an effect on the polyphenol content. This is not traditionally done, and this is what makes our research fundamentally different". Afoakwa added that effect of roasting on polyphenol content is also not known.

It has also been discovered by the researchers that roasting the beans at 116 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes helps retain more antioxidants compared to traditional method, in which roasting is done at a temperature of 120-130 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.