5O The Fermentation of Cacao 



The flavour of the fermented beans is still far 

 different from that of the prepared cacao pro- 

 duct, which is produced by roasting the fer- 

 menting beans ; hence a part of the taste must 

 be due to changes caused by the heat of the 

 roasting process. 



The presence of oxidizing enzymes in the 

 seeds of cacao can be proved by the usual 

 reaction. Upon moistening a freshly cut 

 section of cacao seed with tincture of guaiacum 1 

 resin, just after taking the seed from the ripe 

 fruit, a blue colour is rapidly produced, first 

 and most intensely in the chalaza of the embryo 

 and gradually spreading over the entire seed 

 tissue; the placenta, also, soon shows an intense 

 blue colour. When a cross section through 



O 



the whole fruit is moistened with guaiacum 

 tincture, the chalaza of the embryo and the 

 interior soft stratum of the fruit shell become 

 rapidly and intensely blue, then follow in order 

 the colouration of the convolutions of the 

 cotyledons of the seed and the tissue of the 

 hard outer shell. Finally the whole surface 

 of the sections of the seed and the exposed 

 tissue of the testa become blue ; but the slime 

 tissue or pulp around the testa remains perfectly 

 colourless, presenting a most striking contrast. 

 If the tissue of the seed is crushed with some 

 water in a mortar, the filtered liquid will show 

 no blue colouration on addition of guaiacum 

 tincture and shaking with air, while the un- 



1 Lignum mice. H. H. S. 



