HOW THEY MAKE COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 77 



You will have noticed, I feel sure, that of all the raw 

 material we have seen passing through the main 

 machinery cleaning, roasting, crushing, and winnow- 

 ing machines the proportion known as " nibs " is the 

 only portion now absolutely ready for making cocoa or 

 chocolate. Certainly nibs predominate, but by this 

 time you can imagine how ruinous the waste would be 

 to a manufacturer if the remainder of the material 

 could not be utilized. 



Chemical research and mechanical genius have done 

 great things in the elimination of waste. For instance, 

 you will remember I have told you there is a special 

 machine for winnowing such portion of the beans as is 

 smashed to powder in the crushing machine. 



CHAPTER XV 



HOW THEY MAKE COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 



DURING the roasting process some of the water which 

 is a natural part of the cocoa bean is evaporated. 

 Consequently, the percentage of the fat ingredient in 

 the roasted nibs is raised to the high proportion of 

 about 55 per cent. In the preparation of cocoa the 

 main objective is to extract sufficient of the fat, known 

 as " cocoa butter," to leave behind a product which 

 shall be soluble and digestible, and which at the same 

 time shall retain enough fat to make it highly nutritive. 

 The crushing machine we have been watching has 

 been dealing with the particular blend of beans which 

 is used for " Bournville " cocoa, and countless truck- 

 loads of nibs from this blend are ready for the mills. 

 Dodging the full trucks which are being wheeled out in 

 quick succession and the empty ones that are being 



