Confectionery giant Cadbury has developed a new heat-tolerant chocolate which is capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 40 degree Celsius (104F).

Researchers at Cadbury's Bourneville, UK-based research & development (R&D) facility have claimed that their new melt-proof recipe for the popular cocoa treat could stay completely solid even when exposed to temperatures as high as 40 degree Celsius for over three hours.

The claim was made in an 8,000-word patent application filed by Cadbury to patent the method for making a temperature-tolerant chocolate.

In the patent application, the chocolate giant said, "We have found that it is possible to instil temperature-tolerant properties by refining the conched chocolate after the conching step."

The so-called `conching step' is a part of the chocolate-making process, in which a container packed with metal beads grinds the ingredients such as cocoa butter, milk, sugar and vegetable oils.

Cadbury made a breakthrough by developing a way of breaking down sugar particles into even smaller pieces, which makes the bar more resistant to warmth.

It may be noted here that a standard chocolate bar can withstand temperatures of only up to 34 degree Celsius. The new chocolate bars will be ideal for countries with warmer weather, such as Brazil and India.