THE CHOCOLATE tree and woodland strawberry have become the latest life forms to have their genetic make-up decoded by scientists.
An international team of scientists led by the French organisation Cirad selected a variety of the Theobroma cacao chocolate tree called Criollo, which was first domesticated by the Maya about 3,000 years ago.
The tree is one of the oldest tree crops still grown and is used to produce some of the finest dark chocolate.
The researchers identified 28,798 genes in the chocolate tree, including two kinds that help defend against disease and a group of genes the plant uses to make cocoa butter, a prized substance in making chocolate, drugs and cosmetics.
Other genes were involved in giving the chocolate aroma, flavour and colour, while some influence levels of natural antioxidants, hormones and organic chemicals called terpenoids. The study is reported in the journal Nature Genetics. – (Guardian service)
