xii, a, i Brill: Fermentation of Philippine Cacao 3 



In my article dealing with the enzymes of cacao the state- 

 ment was made that no glucoside-splitting enzyme was found 

 in the forastero cacao examined at that time. Since this article 

 appeared, I have made an investigation of the enzymes of the 

 criollo variety and found that an emulsinlike enzyme which splits 

 amygdalin, setting free hydrocyanic acid, exists in the latter. 

 This same enzyme occurs in the forastero type, though not in 

 as great activity. The enzymes found in the criollo and in the 

 forastero types are identical in character, but in general they 

 exist in somewhat larger quantities or more active forms in the 

 former than in the latter. None was found that was peculiar 

 to either type, and for this reason the results of the investigation 

 of the enzymes of criollo are not recorded. The main difference 

 is one of intensity of activity. The list stands as summarized for 

 the forastero type in the preceding paper with the addition of an 

 emulsinlike enzyme that exists in the unfermented seeds in some- 

 what greater activity than in the fermented product. The cor- 

 rected list for the fermenting bean is casease, protease, oxidase, 

 raffinase, diastase, invertase, and emulsinlike enzymes. 



The Philippine Bureau of Agriculture, through its inspectors, 

 has made a census of the various districts of the Islands for 

 the purpose of obtaining information regarding the quantity of 

 cacao produced and the methods of handling it. In only a few 

 provinces was there more than enough raised for local consump- 

 tion, but in most of them the presence of trees was n< ted, thus 

 demonstrating that cacao will grow in many places in the 

 Philippines. No conscious effort is made to ferment the beans, 

 and the methods of preparation are very crude. These methods 

 consist in drying the beans, without preliminary treatment, in 

 the sun from three to six days, rubbing between the hands with 

 ashes or rice husks to remove the pulp previous to placing in 

 the sun, or mixing with rice hulls and sand and treading with 

 the feet and washing to remove the pulp and then drying in 

 the sun. While the quantity grown at present is small, the 

 fact that the regions in which cacao can be grown are wide- 

 spread throughout the Archipelago is encouraging. The ex- 

 perience of other cacao-growing countries lends hope to the 

 belief that the Philippine Islands may become important as a 

 cacao-growing country. Tables showing the production in other 

 countries, as recorded by van Hall, 8 follow: 



