Scientists have discovered what they believe could form an alternative to the use of cocoa butter in the chocolate industry. Cocoa butter is the pure butter extracted from cocoa beans and is a major ingredient in the chocolate industry. A study explored the potential of a wild mango, Mangifera sylvatica, an under-utilised fruit in Southeast Asia, as a new cocoa butter alternative (CBA).

Analyses showed that wild mango butter has a light-coloured fat with a similar fatty acid profile (palmitic, stearic and oleic acid) and triglyceride profile (POP, SOS and POS) to cocoa butter. Its thermal and physical properties are also similar to cocoa butter. Wild mango butter comprises 65 % SOS (1, 3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol) which indicates potential to become a cocoa butter improver (an enhancement of CBA). It is concluded that these attractive properties of wild mango could be prompted by a coalition of policy makers, foresters, food industries and horticulturists to promote more widespread cultivation of this wild fruit species to realise the market opportunity.