Cacao or Cocoa 



129 



The contents of the cacao-beans are just as in other seeds the food-reserve the mother-plant 

 has put by for the young plants to live until they are able to subsist by themselves. The 

 seeds of the cacao plant contain albuminoids or nitrogenous substances, starch, water, fat, 

 sugar, cellulose and mineral matter ; also the alkaloid theobromine, and a colouring matter 

 called cacao-red. 



According to Payen the average composition of good West Indian beans is as follows : — 

 Fat (cacao-butter) . . . . . . . . 50'0 per cent. 



Starch 

 Albuminoids 

 Water 

 Cellulose . . 

 Mineral matter 

 Theobromine 



io-o 



20-0 



120 



2*0 



4-0 

 20 



100-0 

 On account of the high percentage of nitrogenous materials, fat and starch, which it contains, 

 the nutritive value of cacao is great, and the alkaloid theobromine gives it stimulating 

 properties also. This stimulating effect of cacao is increased by the volatile oil developed 

 during the process of roasting, and to which cacao owes its characteristic aroma. 



It will have been noticed that the bean contains approximately half its weight of fat (known 

 when extracted as cacao-butter). This, with the other constituents, renders the beans very 





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TURNING THE BEANS 



