French maltster Soufflet Malt has launched an 18-month research project with Ferments du Futur to produce a cocoa substitute from germinated grains using solid-state malt fermentation.
The program, which began at the beginning of this year, will attempt to reproduce cocoa-like aromatic compounds from barley malt, wheat, or other sprouted grains without additional ingredients. The work is partly driven by sustained pressure on cocoa supply chains. Prices rose sixfold in 2025 amid climate-related supply disruptions, accelerating industry demand for alternatives.
Replicating cocoa through fermentation
Solid-state malt fermentation involves cultivating microorganisms on germinated grains to generate specific aromatic compounds. The research will map cocoa’s aromatic signatures, screen and select microbial strains, and optimize fermentation conditions at up to 10-liter scale. A 4-tonne pre-industrial demonstrator will run in parallel at Soufflet Malt’s R&D facility in Nogent-sur-Seine to validate results and produce client samples.
Soufflet Malt describes cocoa as the first application of a platform it expects to extend to other grain- and legume-derived ingredients, including novel flavors and bioactive molecules. Ferments du Futur is a public-private partnership launched in late 2022 by INRAE and ANIA, based at the Paris-Saclay cluster, with 40 members and an initial budget of €48 million.
Industry context
The project joins a growing body of work targeting cocoa supply vulnerabilities. UK-based Sun Bear Biofuture recently completed a pilot plant for a yeast-derived cocoa butter alternative, while Israeli biotech Celleste Bio has pursued cell-cultured cocoa ingredients in collaboration with Mondelez International.
“By combining solid-state fermentation, industrial malting expertise, and advanced research, we are paving the way for high-performance alternatives that are both sustainable and aligned with the food industry’s evolving expectations,” said Laurent Debande, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at Soufflet Malt.
