Love chocolate? You have fungi to thank for that! On today's show we are walking you through the complex journey between the cocoa bean and a chocolate bar.  The unmatchable decadence is achieved by unique fermentation methods and microbes. Yeast, filamentous fungi, and bacteria are all at play and today we have a chocolate scientist and PhD candidate, Caitlin Clark, who has dedicated her research to chocolate fermentation. Topics Covered Lactic acid fermentation versus chocolates specialty microbesThe complex and ethical journey of chocolate makingAlkalizing chocolatePolyphenol content in a variety of chocolate productsPsychoactive properties in chocolate’s constituents such methylxanthine and theobromine How fermentation alters potency of these constituents Mycorrhizal, endophytic, and pathogenic fungi involved in the cacao trees Other fungal relationships such as endophytes and mycorrhizal species Microbiome of fermentation in cocoa including yeasts, filamentous geotrichum, bacillus bacteria and moreWild ferments, aseptic ferments and experiments with starter culturesChemical and mechanical ways that fungi transform the stockWhat determines a ‘good’ microbial presence versus a ‘bad’ one in the chocolate making processHow cocoa byproducts are madeBloom in chocolateHow to shop for the best quality chocolate Show Notes Caitlin’s website: https://www.trimethylpyrazine.com/Caitlin’s Instagram: @chocolate.graduate Chocolate Vendor’sBar & Cocoa: https://barandcocoa.com/SOMA: https://www.somachocolate.com/Quntu: https://en.qantuchocolate.com/Nuance Chocolate: http://www.nuancechocolate.com/White Label: https://www.whitelabelchocolate.com/Ethical aspects of the cocoa and chocolate value chainNatto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8DMycotoxins in chocolate making and cocoa productsFurther reading: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-DNBQ5kJRWPWm1nZXzjGH-VMgLJBtjsC?usp=sharing