Guiltinan-Maximova Lab

For more than three decades, the Guiltinan-Maximova Lab at Penn State has been at the forefront of cacao science — combining fundamental plant biology with applied biotechnology to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the global cocoa industry. Our work centers on Theobroma cacao, the chocolate tree, a crop of profound economic and cultural significance that supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. With annual global cocoa production valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars, yet threatened by disease losses estimated at 30–40% of yield, the need for rigorous, translational science has never been greater. Our research generates new knowledge in plant genomics, disease resistance, and biotechnology and translates it into tools and technologies that breeders, farmers, and industry partners can use — contributing to a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable cocoa supply chain. More about the Guiltinan-Maximova Lab ...