The Last Word 255 



nected with fermentation. The principal 

 changes in the bean, that are appreciable to 

 the eye and taste after fermentation, consist in 

 a brown colouration of the nibs and a softening 

 or reduction of the bitter flavour. The object 

 of fermentation is, in the main, to kill the germ 

 in the bean in such a manner that the efficiency 

 of the enzyme is in no way impaired. Behrens 

 has already pointed this out, 1 and this state- 

 ment is proved to be well founded, in the first 

 place by the fact that the above-mentioned 

 changes fail to occur when the enzymes are 

 destroyed before fermentation. Thus, if fresh 

 cacao beans are heated to 100 C., whilst they 

 will still ferment, the brown colouration and 

 softening of the bitter taste do not occur. 

 A further proof is to be found in the fact that 

 the changes essential to the preparation of 

 cacao may take place without fermentation, if 

 the germs in the beans are killed under con- 

 ditions that leave the enzymes unimpaired. 

 There are several ways of destroying the life 

 of the bean without running the risk of destroy- 

 ing the enzyme. If there were any financial 

 value in doing so, such methods could be used 

 in the practical or commercial preparation of 

 cacao. In every case the first process consists 

 in the removal of the pulp. It is unnecessary 

 to completely separate the pulp from the 

 beans, in fact it suffices if one washes out the 



1 Lafar, " Handbuch der technischen Mykologie," 

 Bd. i, p. 655. 



