182 



ON THE COMPOSITION AND USE OP CHOCOLATE. 



Additional ob 

 fervations by 

 Vadct. 



Un-manufac- 

 tured chocolate 

 was found to 

 contain a metal 

 lie precipitate 



every manufacturer who admits into the composition of choco* 

 late, materials which ought not to form a part of it, or at leaft, 

 which the confumer does not require, directly injures his health. 

 He who adulterates an article of general ufe, ought to be- 

 aware that though he conceals himfelf in the obfeurity of his 

 work-fhops to introduce low priced ingredients into his choco- 

 late, and to difguife them, yet he cannot efcape from a chemi- 

 cal analyfis, which can inftantly difcover his frauds, and de- 

 nounces his pernicious art and his name to the public notice. 



To the observations contained in this notice, I (hall add thofe 

 which citizen L. C. Cadet has communicated to me on the che- 

 mical analyfis of certain foods. I (hall ufe his own words : 

 " The prefect of the police lately charged me to analyfe 

 fome chocolate which he fufpecled to contain fome noxious 

 fubftances. J fliall not enter into the detail of the multiplied 

 experiments which this examination required, but (ball confine 

 this notice to a (ingle remark, founded on the following fac"t : 



" To difcover whether this chocolate contained any metallic 

 fubftance, I incinerated it and waflied the afhes with very pure 

 • nitric acid, which retained every thing that was fqluhle. 



The filtered lixivium was clear, but I had fcarcely poured in- 

 to it a hidro-fulphuret, when I obtained a very abundant, black, 

 metallic precipitate. This refult gave me much uneafinefs, 

 becaufe J was ftill ignorant of the nature of the metal, and it is 

 always diftreffing to find a pernicious fubftance in an article of 

 food. I tried the lixivium with prufiiate of potam. Immedi- 

 ately a beautiful Pruflian blue was formed, which removed my 

 apprehenfions. I continued the examination with different 

 re-agents, and the oxalic acid (bowed me the prefence of lime. 

 It was interefting to learn whether the iron and the lime which 

 I had difcovered would be met with in all chocolates : I then 

 made an analyfis of the Caracca cocoa and of fome of the bed 

 from the plantations : I did not find in them either lime or 



found in the nut meta l. J immediately caufed fome chocolate to be prepared 

 but are mtrodu- . < i r 



cedbythepre- from the lame cocoa and very white cryftallized fugar ; the 

 fent methods of analyfis difcovered a pretty large proportion of iron and lime. 

 It is, therefore, the fabrication which introduces thefe two 

 fubftances into the chocolate, and the quantity is greater in 

 proportion to the care bellowed on the manipulation. In facl 

 the cocoa is roafted in a cylinder of fheet iron fimilar to thofe 

 ufed in roafting>coffee. Jt is afterwards beat in an iron mortar 



and 



— of iron, 



dad alfo lime, 



»hkh are not 



■Working. 



