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,’ 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. 
