Dr. Oscar Loew 63 



organisms, cause a rise of temperature depend- 

 ing upon the depth of the stratum and the 

 temperature of the surrounding air. The 

 heaps of pulped coffee are generally i to 2 ft. 

 high. In such heaps the temperature was 

 found after fifteen to sixteen hours to range 

 from 34 to 42 C. at an air temperature of 

 25 to 29 C. 



The alcoholic and acetic fermentations pro- 

 ceeding in the heaps of pulped coffee are, 

 however, not the most essential phenomena ; 

 the most important point is that the slimy 

 stratum is separated from the parchment 

 envelope. It is by no means dissolved, 

 but merely loses its firm adhesion and is 

 left loosely spread upon the parchment coffee 

 so that it can easily be washed away by a 

 current of water and the parchment coffee 

 dried. 



Neither the acetic acid nor the enzyme 

 already present in the slime causes the separa- 

 tion of the slime layer, as tests have shown. 



Freshly pulped coffee was kept in dilute 

 acetic acid (about i per cent.) at 35 to 40 C. 

 and another portion in some water containing 

 a few drops of ether to prevent bacterial 

 growth. In both cases the slimy layer was 

 found still firmly attached to the parchment 

 after twenty-four hours. This leaves no other 

 inference but that a peculiar enzyme dissolving 

 the adhesive substance (a carbohydrate ?) 

 between the parchment and the slimy stratum 



