42 The Fermentation of Cacao 



In many parts of Central America, however, 

 the shrunken pulp is dried with, i.e., on, the 

 beans, which are shipped in this condition to 

 other countries. 



Cacao beans, when fermented and well- 

 washed, show a uniform yellowish or brownish 

 colouration of their testa. The testa of un- 

 washed fermented beans do not show a uniform 

 colouration on account of the adhering films 

 of fermented and shrunken pulp, which has 

 turned from the original colourless condition 

 to a violet brown colour, and which is reduced 

 from the original thickness of o'i to 0*2 cm. 

 to a mere film. An advantage of removing 

 the remaining films by washing consists doubt- 

 less in the greater rapidity of drying, where- 

 by the danger of attack by mould fungi is 

 diminished. Eugene Lange 1 holds that the 

 extra trouble is not compensated by the addi- 

 tional price obtained for washed cacao. Never- 

 theless, the washjng of the cacao has been 

 recently introduced in Trinidad. 2 



When pulped cacao is not fermented, but 

 simply dried in the sun, the slimy layer around 

 the testa shrinks considerably, but not to such 

 insignificant thin films as after fermentation. 

 When the entire juice of the slimy layer is 

 simply dried up instead of being removed, a 

 hygroscopic condition of the product results, 

 which in moist weather becomes sticky and 



1 Agr. Record. Trinidad, 4 (1891), pp. 105-107. 



2 It is, however, very seldom used to-day. H. H. S. 



