April 1, 1«65.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



FOOD-VALUE OF THE KOLA-NUT. 427 



meal, even if they swallowed the whole of the nut, would be too small 

 to be worth taking into consideration as a constituent of food. Coffee 

 contains 13 per cent, of this nitrogenous matter, and tea about 22, but 

 in our methods of making beverages from these two substances, scarcely 

 any of it is swallowed, it remaining as valueless along with the spent 

 leaves and fragments. The ash obtained on burning Kola is 32 per 

 cent., about half the amount that coffee or tea yields. It resembles the 

 ash of coffee and tea in being composed of chlorides, sulphates, and 

 phosphates of potash, P-me, and magnesia. The greater part of the 

 phosphoric acid is, in the soluble condition, probably combined with potash 

 or ammonia, and would of course be swallowed with the juice on chew- 

 ing the nut. Gum, sugar, and other organic matters, the nature of which 

 could not be determined, are present to the extent of 10 - 67 per cent., a 

 proportion similar to that in coffee and tea. Finally, the common 

 astringent principle, tannin, which occurs in coffee to the amount of 5 

 per cent, and in tea to 15 per cent., and which gives to tea and coffee 

 beverages their pleasant rough taste, is entirely wanting in Kola. 



The following is a tabular form of the composition of dry Kula- 

 nuts : — • 







In 100 parts. 



Water 





13 65 



Cell-wall and colouring 



matter 



20-00 



Starch 





42-50 



Volatile oil . J 





1-52 



Fixed fat . . f ' 





Albumenoid substance 





6-33 



Gum ... 







Sugar 





10-67 



Other organic matter 







Ash .... 





3-20 



Tbeiue 





2-13 



Kola, then, in the dry state, somewhat resembles coffee, but differs 

 in not containing tannin, in possessing but little fatty matter, and in the 

 presence of much starch. Indeed, so far as its analysis indicates, if the 

 fresh nut did not possess peculiar virtues, which apparently are lost on 

 drying, it might be advantageously substituted by coffee. For when 

 made up into a beverage it is thick and mucilaginous like cacao, but 

 is tasteless, inodorous, flavourless ; nor is it improved in these respects 

 by roasting. 



An examination of the fresh nut would probably add greatly to the 

 interest of this already interesting material. — ' Pharmaceutical Journal.' 



