48 The Fermentation of Cacao 



exclusively to a change of cacao red. If the 

 production of the colour is due to an incom- 

 plete oxidation of the tannin, then there will 

 be less tannin found in the cured cacao than 

 in the fresh cacao. This agrees, indeed, 

 with some analytical determinations of Prof. 

 Harrison, published by Hart. 1 The fat con- 

 tent is assumed not to change during the curing 

 process, and this is in all probability the case. 

 The data compiled under this condition are as 

 follows for Calabacillo cacao : 



ANALYSES OF CALABACILLO CACAO. 



Amido compounds ... 0-53 ... 2-06 



A part of the changes brought about by 

 curing is probably due to the action of the 

 living" cells in the seed, before they are killed 

 by the rising temperature. This would 

 account for the decrease of starch, glucose, 

 and hemicelluloses, which may be consumed 

 by the respiration process, but the other 



1 " Cacao." Trinidad, 1900, 2nd ed., p. 100. 



