xx. The Fermentation of Cacao 



organism is met regularly on the cacao in the 

 s\veating-boxes. In his description the author 

 avoids deciding (lit., is too sober in order to 

 decide) whether these organisms are a yeast 

 mixture or a single species. The discovery 

 that the yeast mixture cultivated from cacao 

 which has been fermented in the right way, 

 when transferred to new sweating-boxes or 

 to cacao that has been indifferently (lit., 

 irregularly) fermented, improves the cacao 

 it is transferred to, is of great importance, for 

 the resultant cacao, cured with this ferment or 

 yeast, is decidedly of a higher market value. 

 This fact alone is of such importance that I am 

 quite willing to overlook weaker portions of 

 the essay, such as including the results of a 

 chemical examination without giving 1 the 



*"> o 



analyses from which these conclusions are 



theebromtf, Preyer in fermenting Ceylon cacao. The 

 name, therefore, had already been given to it. From 

 Dr. Preyer's article in Der Tropenpflanzer, of Berlin 

 (1901), or the translation of this important treatise 

 published in Tropical Life in 1909-1910, and now forming 

 the first essay or chapter in this book, it will be seen 

 that the influence of yeast in the fermenting of cacao 

 was discovered and noted over twelve years ago. It 

 was, in fact, through reading Dr. Preyer's article that 

 the idea occurred to me of utilizing his invention for 

 trying to secure a more even class of cacao from all or 

 any centre through the use of the culture that he 

 mentions. If uniformity is possible with rubber, why 

 should it not be with cacao ? Dr. Preyer's and Dr. 

 Nicholls' information shows that it is possible. Having 

 started the ball of research rolling, we must now hope 

 that others will take up the matter and carry it on to 

 practical and general use. 



