Dr. Oscar Loew 45 



together with the swollen testa was easily 

 separated from the seed. These seeds showed 

 a pure red colouration on the outside, while 

 the interior was violet, and no trace of brown 

 colour appeared even after many hours' ex- 

 posure to the air, since the oxidizing enzyme 

 (oxidase) had been killed, together with the 

 living matter (the protoplasm of cells). 



The seeds commence to die when the entire 

 fruit is kept for several days at 40 to 45 C., 

 and the browning can be observed progressing 

 from the surface of the seed toward the interior. 

 By becoming over- ripe, the soft interior strata 

 of the fruit shell, as well as the slime tissue 

 around the seeds, contract more or less, and a 

 hollow space is formed between the fruit shell 

 and the seeds with their adhering slime tissue. 

 Air diffuses into this space, and the reason for 

 the brown colour produced by oxidation within 

 the fruit becomes apparent. During the fer- 

 mentation process the browning does not often 

 go farther than this, and the interior of the 

 seed often continues to show the original violet 

 colouration. It is then that the subsequent 

 drying process, which admits air abundantly 

 by diffusion through the testa, completely 

 finishes the browning process. Some further 

 darkening can take place during the roasting 

 process when powdered cacao and chocolate 

 are made from the fermented beans. 



The colour change of the cacao seed is 

 no doubt similar to the colour change in the 



