FERMENTED AND tJNFERMENTED COCOA 125 



nitrogenous constituents of the beans. The albuminoid 

 constituents probably are first changed into amides and 

 other simpler compounds, which may be further broken 

 up during the process of fermentation. Some of the 

 carbohydrates, other than sugar, undergo hydrolysis and 

 either escape in the runnings from the boxes in the form 

 of glucose or undergo, in turn, the alcoholic and acetic 

 fermentations. Harrison's results of the analysis of 

 fermented and unfermented Forastero (Calabacillo) cocoa 

 beans are as follows : 



The protoplasm or living matter in the beans is not 

 killed during the fermentation process until the tempera- 

 ture rises to about 115° Fahr. As this does not usually 

 occur until the second or third day, it is possible that the 

 action of the living cells is responsible for some of the 

 changes effected during fermentation. In regard to these 

 changes Loew states : " This would account for the 

 decrease of starch, glucose, and hemicelluloses, which may 

 be consumed by the respiration process, but the other 

 changes are due to several enzymes. A proteolytic 

 enzyme brings on the decrease of protein and the corre- 

 sponding increase of amido compounds, while oxidising 

 enzymes, generally liberated from the protoplasm upon 

 its death, cause the decrease of tannin and cocoa red 

 and their change to other compounds. The most con- 

 spicuous changes are therefore only possible after the 

 death of the protoplasm, which is a desirable factor. 



Grermination dining Fermentation. — The same writer 

 considers Zipperer's idea, that the changes are brought 

 about by the germination process of the beans, to be 

 erroneous ; also that the rise of temperature of the 



