132 



The World's Commercial Products 



SURINAM. A SWEATING BARN (EXTERIOR) 



We are accustomed to call 

 cacao soluble nowadays be- 

 cause it apparently dissolves 

 in hot water or milk ; how- 

 ever, soluble ' is the wrong 

 word to use, as there is no 

 solution in the ordinary sense 

 as, for instance, in speaking 

 of sugar or salt being soluble 

 in water or milk. In reality 

 the discoverer, Mr. C. J. van 

 Houten's purpose was to pre- 

 pare a powder which should 

 be completely miscible in 

 liquids. It is a sign of com- 

 plete diffusion that the cacao 

 after boiling water has been 

 poured on it forms hardly 

 any sediment at the bottom 

 of the cup. 



Cacao or cocoa butter, 

 the extraction of which is described elsewhere, is, when quite pure, a white, rather hard fat, 

 with an agreeable odour of chocolate, and a delicate taste. It melts slowly in the mouth. 

 Its melting-point is about 85 to 90° F., and its specific gravity varies between 0"85 and 0'98. It 

 is only slightly soluble in warm alcohol, but may be completely dissolved in ether. Cacao- 

 butter does not turn rancid if carefully stored, which property renders it very valuable for 

 pharmaceutical and other preparations. When fresh it is yellowish- white, but becomes quite 

 white on keeping. 



Cacao-butter is frequently used in the preparation of perfumes and cosmetics. The fresh 

 butter is used in ointments, cerates, and plasters. Moreover, cacao-butter is a constituent 



of almost all pomades, and 

 consisting of stearin, palmi- 

 tin, and olein, it makes an 

 excellent soft toilet soap, of 

 a beautiful white colour, when 

 mixed with certain alkalies. 

 The so-called " chocolate- 

 fats " are frequently derived 

 from coco-nut oil and palm 

 oil, and are used to adul- 

 terate cacao - butter, being 

 much cheaper. 



It is to the cacao-red and 

 the volatile oils that the beans 

 owe their colour, peculiar aro- 

 ma, and to a great degree their 

 characteristic taste. The 

 amount of theobromine con- 

 tained is comparatively small, 

 and yet to it cacao owes its 

 stimulating action. In 1840 



SURINAM. A SWEATING BARN (INTERIOR) 



