Knowledge Base Academic Team from KNUST Engages CPC on Progress of Okra Pectin Research Project
The Knowledge Base Academic Team led by Professor Jacob K. Agbenorhevi of the Department of Food Science and Technology, KNUST-Kumasi, has met with the management of 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 (UK), and CPC. The Africa Agrifood Knowledge Transfer (AAKTP) project is funded by Innovate UK.
The research seeks to develop an alternative to lecithin in chocolate production using pectin extracted from okra, a locally available agricultural resource.
In her brief remarks, the Company Supervisor at CPC, Madam Genevieve Pawar, who also serves as Head of Research & Development, highlighted the company’s over-decade-long knowledge transfer partnership with African Agrifood Knowledge Transfer Partnership and academic institutions. She cited a major success story from this collaboration, which is the development of the Aspire chocolate brand, a sugar-free innovation that has become a favourite among health-conscious consumers.
Prof. Agbenorhevi commended the project partners for their collaborative efforts, noting significant progress in developing both milk and dark chocolate samples. He described consumer feedback from the acceptability tests on the milk chocolate as “fantastic” and added that the team is now focusing on shelf-life testing and other quality parameters as part of the project’s next phase.
He further indicated that access to quality raw materials will not pose 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, applauded the progress achieved just a few months into the project and emphasised the potential for job creation within the agrarian sector and the strategic advantage it presents 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 forge strategic partnerships and capitalise on emerging economic and market opportunities.
