In news that has brought a feel-good glow to Stylist HQ this morning, chocolate is soon to become more nutritious and delicious than ever.

Scientists are working on a formula to help chocolate retain more of the antioxidants found in cocoa, without compromising its sweet flavour.

Traditionally the prospect of tasty, health-giving chocolate has been a tough alchemy to crack.

Cocoa is bursting with natural plant nutrients called flavonoids, which work as antioxidants to combat damage caused by free radicals. They also have a powerful impact on cardiovascular health and memory.

The problem is, many of the flavonoids contained in raw cocoa powder are lost in the process of roasting cocoa beans to make chocolate. And the more processed the chocolate, the more flavanols are lost. And since cocoa naturally has a strong, pungent flavour, chocolate production tends to go through stages of fermentation, alkalizing and roasting to temper this taste.

But now, a research team at the University of Ghana claims to have solved the conundrum, by creating nutritious chocolate with lots of antioxidants and a sweet flavour.

Healthy chocolate has arrived, and it's bursting with flavour