THE STERILISATION OF COPRA 135 



fats is, in its way, merely a variation of the Mercer 

 process, differing only in so far as the electrical 

 charge is applied direct to the product under treat- 

 ment. The obvious disadvantage of this is that 

 the slightest error of judgment on the part of the 

 operator applying the current leads to a con- 

 siderable discoloration of the fats, consequently the 

 copra, after being pressed, yields a discolored 

 oil which has, in turn, to be refined through 

 niters containing animal char, a process both 

 difficult and costly, in order to restore its original 

 colour. 



Another process is the Bechter, which has proved 

 in many respects satisfactory and up to date, 

 giving in practice perhaps the best results. But 

 this process is, in its turn, only an improvement on 

 the Hoffmann system, already described. Both 

 these methods of dealing with the raw material 

 the coconut present serious disadvantages, being 

 based upon the assumption that nuts from all 

 parts of the world and gathered at different seasons 

 of the year are identical in chemical composition 

 an assumption which has no foundation in fact. 

 For it stands to reason that a nut harvested in the 

 rainy season must, of necessity, be of different 

 chemical composition to one gathered in the middle 

 of the dry season. Consequently, if no provision 

 be made for this variation, and if all nuts are 

 treated alike, irrespective of their origin and 



