216 The Fermentation of Cacao 



By-products. 



VINEGAR. 



A careful measurement of the liquor oozing 

 from cacao fermenting boxes gives 4 imperial 

 gallons, or about 20 litres, of juice per bag of 

 200 Ib. dry. Thus for every 100 bags pro- 

 duced there would be 400 imperial gallons of 

 juice to deal with in the first instance. This 

 quantity would be reduced by evaporation, 

 fermentation, and filtering; over at least two 



o 



months' treatment, so that it probably would 

 not yield more than half its original measure, 

 or 200 imperial gallons of vinegar. Assuming 

 that a fair vinegar was turned out, and taking 

 into consideration the quality and price of 

 the English malt and French wine vinegar 

 now generally exported to the Colonies, the 

 producer of cacao vinegar might reasonably 

 expect to receive 2s. to 2s. 6d. per gallon 

 wholesale. This would represent a gross 

 return of, say, 1 20 per 100 bags cacao at 2s., 

 or 25 at 2s. 6d. per gallon. Very occasionally 

 one meets with cacao vinegar that appeals to 

 the palate as the very perfection of vinegar ; 

 although it is not deficient in strength (as 



1 If, therefore, taking one centre alone, Trinidad 

 exported 300,000 bags of cacao in a year, as it could 

 and should do, the vinegar" forthcoming should, on 

 the above basis, be worth 3,000 x 20 = 60,000 

 at least, and perhaps ^"75,000. This is not at all a 

 bad sum for a by-product at present running to waste, 

 and by doing so proving an expense and a nuisance. 

 -H. H. S. 



