THE HOUSE OF WALTER BAKER & CO, LTD. 55 
of the cocoa so treated. Starched cocoa is really a poor food, and 
should be avoided by all who wish to get the most nutriment at the 
lowest cost in the form of pure cocoa. Malted cocoa, so much in 
vogue lately, is merely a fad, and has no actual food value over the 
plainarticle. The malt is added because it containsa ferment termed 
‘ diastase,’ which has the power of converting starch into sugar, and 
if the malt retained this power in the cup of cocoa its inclusion could 
MILL NO. 4, WALTER BAKER & CO. LTD. 
be defended. But the diastase is killed at 175 deg. Fahr., and there- 
fore the digestive action of the malt is entirely destroyed by the 
addition of the boiling milk or water to the powder or paste in the 
cup. Inasmuch as malt is inferior to cocoa in actual food value, its 
addition to cocoa lowers the nutritive value of the beverage. The 
use of hops is also entirely useless as far as practical results are con- 
