VENICE, ITALY — Barry Callebaut introduced what it calls the “second generation” of chocolate at an Oct. 27 event in Venice. The recipe for the chocolate contains 60% to 80% more cocoa, and the chocolate contains 50% less sugar than over 80% of the chocolate consumed globally, according to the Zurich, Switzerland-based company.

Barry Callebaut first worked with farmers to grow beans for better flavor potential. Then an ideal time-and-temperature curve during fermentation was found. Finally, roasting techniques preserved floral notes and fruity notes while stripping acidic compounds, said Gabi Kopp, global R&D head of product superiority.

“To make a new generation of chocolate we ferment and roast the coffee beans in a specific way so that they get a consistently mild and balanced chocolate taste throughout the total eating experience,” she said.

Barry Callebaut also changed the way it measured how consumers eat chocolate during sensory testing.

“Instead of taking a picture, we make a video: much more information and insight on how the product is perceived by the people who taste it,” Ms. Kopp said. “We can now measure those delicious fruity notes, the creaminess, the milky and honey notes over time as they unfold in the mouth.”

The new chocolate arguably is the culmination of nearly two centuries of work in the industry, said Peter Boone, chief executive officer.

“For the last 150 years the taste profile and the recipe for the majority of chocolate bars have barely changed,” he said.