The Knowledge Base Academic Team led by Professor Jacob Agbenorhevi of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has met with the management of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) to review progress on the ongoing Okra Pectin Exploratory Project in chocolate manufacturing.

The project is a collaborative initiative involving KNUST, the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom, and CPC. The Africa Agrifood Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AAKTP) project is funded by Innovate UK.

The research aims to develop an alternative to lecithin in chocolate production using pectin extracted from okra, a locally available agricultural resource.

CPC’s Company Supervisor, Madam Genevieve Pawar, who also serves as Head of Research and Development, highlighted the company’s more than decade-long knowledge transfer partnership with AAKTP and academic institutions.

She cited one major outcome of this collaboration. The development of the Aspire chocolate brand, a sugar-free innovation that has become popular among health-conscious consumers.

Professor Agbenorhevi commended the project partners for their teamwork and noted significant progress in developing both milk and dark chocolate samples.

He described consumer feedback from the acceptability tests on the milk chocolate as “fantastic,” adding that the team is now focusing on shelf-life testing and other quality parameters in the next phase of the project.

He also indicated that access to quality raw materials will not be a challenge, referencing recent findings that the variety of okra cultivated in Ghana is particularly suitable for pectin extraction.

Professor William Coffie, Managing Director of CPC, lauded the achievements recorded just a few months into the project. He emphasised its potential for job creation within the agrarian sector and the strategic advantage it offers to CPC’s operations.

According to him, with CPC holding the first and exclusive rights to the resulting technology, the company is well-positioned to build strategic partnerships and tap into emerging economic and market opportunities.