COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 173 



contain as much as 4 per cent, of alkaloid, but Zipperer 

 only found "32 per cent, of this constituent in cured 

 kernels of Port-au-Prince cocoa. 



Theobromine is the principal alkaloid of cocoa, and the 

 analyses of different chemists demonstrate that it usually 

 constitutes 1*2 per cent, of the kernels. This substance 

 is closely allied to theine or caffeine, the alkaloid of tea 

 and coffee, and like it is poisonous in large quantities. 

 Theobromine has a bitter taste and is sparingly soluble 

 in boiling water. 



Harrison's analytical determinations of fresh and 

 cured beans of Calabacillo cocoa show that, in addition 

 to theobromine, '11 and "03 per cent, of caffeine was 

 present in the fresh and cured beans respectively. 



COCOA AND CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURE 



In order to obtain the opinions of buyers of the de- 

 scriptions of cocoa most favoured by them, the writer has 

 consulted two of the largest manufacturers of cocoa and 

 chocolate in Great Britain, and he is indebted to them for 

 the following remarks on this subject. 



" Washing Cocoa. We believe this to be a useless and 

 even to some degree a harmful practice, as it makes 

 the shell brittle and less protection to the bean (seed), and 

 the bean is naturally more likely to take up foreign 

 scents and to lose its own aroma ; we should not give 

 a higher price for cocoa because it was washed. 



" For cocoa and chocolate some different classes of 

 cocoas are useful. For cocoa the strong Guayaquil type is 

 considerably used, and it would be a satisfaction to us 

 to see this type cultivated in other parts of the world 

 than in the Republic of Ecuador. (It always brings 

 higher prices than Forastero.) For general purposes the 

 Forastero types of cocoa are useful, and we should not 

 call these common, although they are not of the very 

 highest grade. For chocolate a certain amount of the 

 lighter Criollo cocoa is used in the highest brands, but as 

 it has very little flavour of its own the consumption will 



