20 The Fermentation of Cacao 



The living yeast cells in the pulp are 

 apparently the inciters of fermentation ; ac- 

 cording to Buchner, the chemical changes they 

 produce with the help of the existing enzyme 

 always deserve consideration when studying 

 cacao fermentation. After several attempts 

 at yeast cultivation in Ceylon, I was able to 

 isolate one variety, and grow it separately. 

 This one is always found in Ceylon plantations 

 on fermenting cacao, and in the fermentation 

 trials it gave by far the best results. It 

 appears, without doubt, that other kinds of 

 yeast, perhaps even European beer and wine 

 yeasts, can create a fermentation of cacao. 

 However, the ideal yeast will probably only be 

 discovered by the careful cultivation of those 

 which at present seem to be most satisfactory. 

 As a starting point the kind of yeast found 

 in Ceylon seems to be very suitable. This 

 is distinguished from all the Saccharomyces 

 described hitherto, or at the most it slightly 

 resembles S. ellipsoideus (I. Hansen), and 

 S. membrantefaciens. I would describe the 

 new variety as follows : 



The sprouting fungus of cacao fermentation. 

 .5. theobromce (Preyer) is of longish, ellip- 

 soidal shape, in the midst of almost cylin- 

 drical cells, which,, though separate, lie together 

 in short chains or in heaps. The length of a 

 cell measures on the average '00615 mm., with 

 a cross diameter '0031 mm. ; such cells are 

 fourrd in the middle of a pure bacilli culture in. 



