The cocoa market is facing one of its most significant crises in decades, with prices reaching record highs. According to an article published in Food Navigator by Donna Eastlake (February 6, 2025), this situation is mainly driven by adverse weather conditions in West Africa, a region that supplies a large share of the world’s cocoa.
The World Bank estimates that global cocoa production fell by 14% in 2023, due to lower output in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together account for 60% of global supply, combined with increasing consumer demand across Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Adding to the crisis is the outbreak of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV), a viral disease affecting cocoa plantations in West Africa. It reduces yields from the first year of infection and can kill trees within a few years. The combination of these factors has resulted in a global cocoa deficit, with supply reaching its lowest level in 46 years, forcing manufacturers to rethink their strategies.
Multinational chocolate manufacturers have already announced adjustments to their financial forecasts and are seeking alternatives to mitigate the impact of rising costs, including packaging changes, reductions in cocoa content, and the use of substitute ingredients.
Against this backdrop, many companies have chosen to reformulate their products to reduce their dependence on cocoa, adjust prices, and maintain profitability. In this context, Grupo Saporiti introduces NeoCAO, an innovative alternative that helps optimize costs without compromising the sensory qualities that cocoa brings to formulations.
NeoCAO: a smart solution for the industry
NeoCAO is a brown powdered product that, when diluted, delivers organoleptic characteristics similar to cocoa. Its excellent solubility makes it possible to achieve a flavor and color profile comparable to cocoa, with the added advantage of an optimized formulation that reduces costs and improves the stability of the final product.
Grupo Saporiti has developed NeoCAO in different versions designed to replace natural, alkalized, red, and black cocoa profiles. Depending on the colorants used in its composition, two options are available under the applicable legal classification:
- Nature-identical: Formulated with a nature-identical flavor base and natural colorants. Suitable for all types of foods, particularly those subjected to demanding thermal processes such as UHT treatment or baking.
- Artificial: Formulated with a nature-identical flavor base and artificial colorants. A more cost-effective option, recommended for processes requiring a specific color shade or for oil-based formulations.
Cost optimization and production efficiency
NeoCAO was designed for easy use in industrial environments. It is a water-soluble powder produced through spray drying. Depending on the application, it can replace up to 50% of the cocoa in traditional formulations and up to 100% in new product developments.
Its high concentration also makes it possible to reduce dosage, achieving a replacement ratio of 3 to 5 parts cocoa to 1 part NeoCAO. In other words, 1 g of NeoCAO can replace between 3 g and 5 g of cocoa, depending on the composition of the finished product.
This results in greater formulation standardization, lower inventory requirements, optimized storage, and reduced logistics costs.
It is important to note that the remaining solids can be replaced with flour, sugar, maltodextrin, vegetable fat, milk, or whey, depending on the application and applicable regulations.
Another major advantage of NeoCAO is that it eliminates the need to add lecithin to improve solubility, simplifying formulation and improving the stability of the final product. In addition, its batch-to-batch consistency and local availability help reduce dependence on cocoa market fluctuations and the adverse weather conditions affecting cocoa production.
Industrial applications
NeoCAO has proven effective across a wide range of products, maintaining a flavor and color profile comparable to traditional cocoa in applications such as:
- Artisanal and industrial ice cream
- UHT milk and plant-based beverages
- Dairy desserts
- Sponge cakes and cakes
- Premixes for sponge cakes, loaf cakes, muffins, and brownies
- Filling creams
- Cream liqueurs
- Sauces
- Cookies and biscuits
- Confectionery
- Chocolate products
- Coatings and bakery applications
Grupo Saporiti provides personalized technical support to optimize cocoa replacement with NeoCAO, adapting the solution to the specific requirements of each formulation.timizar la sustitución de cacao con NeoCAO, adaptándolo a las necesidades específicas de cada formulación.
