Cacao genome will help to develop the chocolate industry

In 2008, IBM and Mars formed a joint team to work on deciphering the genotype of cocoa. It is worth noting that the transcript of the genotype of plants is not something new. Scientists have already got a map of the genome of rice, mustard and some other plants, including cocoa (2010).

Deciphering the same cocoa genome was carried out to help the industry get more cocoa growing healthy, resistant to adverse external factors, plant. The initial phase of this work ended with an interesting result: it turns out, a portion of the genome that is responsible for the color of the plants can be an indicator of the health of plants, as well as the taste of cocoa beans.

Why industry cocoa / chocolate needs support?

• About 70% of the current crop of cocoa produced in equatorial Africa;
• 2 million small cocoa farms in West Africa depend on this plant;
• 1/3 the cocoa plantations in Africa is lost due to drought, pests and fungal diseases;
• Only in the US "chocolate" industry loses $ 800 million as a result of the aforesaid mentioned problems.

As analyzed genome

In order to sequence the genetic material of cocoa, the researchers took samples of leaves, pods, and some other parts of the plant, sending it all to the lab US Agricultural Research Service (USDA). DNA sequencer identified nucleotides required for analysis. Well, the work IBM, Mars, and the Ministry of Agriculture was already getting cards genome. Work on deciphering genotype cocoa took three years, the work has been decoded for more than 30 thousand genes.

Thereafter, computer systems have begun to analyze these genes using specific algorithms to identify patterns of genes. The team worked in research with samples of fabrics cocoa from different points of the world, trying to compare the genomes of different species kakako to identify the critical parts of the genome responsible for important human properties of this plant, including taste, disease resistance, lack of moisture and other factors. < br />


According to Dr. Laxmi Parida, head of the department of computer геномики IBM, the most difficult part - to find the genes responsible for the phenotype . Breakthrough can be called certain genes responsible for the color of the pod.

Color, taste and genes

Scientists, during continuous operation cocoa genome sequencing, were not only able to identify the genes responsible for the color of the cocoa pod, but to understand where in the DNA of these genes are cocoa.

Then genes were labeled as "good" (for the genes for green pod) and "bad" (the genes responsible for the red color). It turns out that cocoa beans from green pods give a good taste, and red - bad.

Now, using the received information, it is possible to obtain the best types of cocoa in a very short period of time. Earlier work on the removal of the qualitative form of cocoa takes years and years. Among other things, scientists are working to eliminate not only the types of cocoa, which give the fruit with good flavor, but both species are resistant to adverse external influences.

IBM's role in the research

The Corporation has developed algorithms to identify regions of the genome and individual genes to identify those genes that are responsible for the phenotype of the plant. This allows the company Mars work effectively to improve the taste of cocoa and plant resistance to external factors.

As for the developed IBM algorithms , they are open to any research community.

Genome cocoa as laid out in the open access to project created its own website .

Source: habrahabr.ru/company/ibm/blog/234961/