24 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SOME TEOPICAL FRUITS. 



CUSTAKD APPLE (CHIRIMOYA). 

 (Anona reticulata.) 



The custard apple, known in Cuba as the chirimoya, varies from a 

 light green to a reddish brown in color and is shaped like a straw- 

 berry, being somewhat broader than it is long. It has a thick skin, 

 black seeds, and a pulp very similar to that of the sweet-sop in appear- 

 ance and flay or. 



Owing to the spoiling of the samples in transit no complete analysis 

 of this fruit was obtained, but a partial one is given in Table VI. 

 The fruit is eaten raw, and no preserves were found on the market. 



SAPOTA (SAPODILLA). 



(Achras sapota.) 



There are two varieties of this fruit in Cuba. The only apparent 

 difference between the two is the shape, one being round and the other 

 oval. In the Havana market the latter is incorrectly known as the 

 nispero, this name being properh r applied to the loquat (Eridbotrya 

 japonica). 



The fruit averages slightly under 2 ounces in weight, is brown to 

 greenish-brown in color, appearing not unlike a very smooth, dark 

 potato. The skin, however, is much thicker and of coarser texture. 

 The pulp is yellowish brown in color, granular in texture, and very 

 juicy. It has a characteristic odor and flavor and is very sweet. The 

 seeds, numbering from 1 to 5, are found in a soft, open core. They are 

 brownish black, with a single white stripe, and measure from three- 

 fourths of an inch to 1 inch in length. 



Sapotas retail for 10 to 50 cents a dozen, according to quality and the 

 season, the fruit being in season from about the 1st of April until the 

 end of the summer. The fruit is picked green, and is said to stand 

 shipment well. Altogether it is very popular and seems to deserve 

 far more notice than has yet been given it b} T northern markets. The 

 sap of the sapota tree and the juice of the green fruit, when boiled 

 down, furnish what is known in commerce as chicle, from which chew- 

 ing gum is made. 



Two samples of preserved natural pulp were examined and the 

 results arc given in Table VII. One sample. No. 893, very closely 

 approaches the composition of the fresh fruit, while the other, No. 

 901, has received the addition of about 10 per cent of sugar. The 

 latter sample contains a very low percentage of insoluble solids and 

 cane sugar. As usual, the acid content was very low. giving the prod- 

 uct the insipid flavor so prevalent in Cuban preserves. Both samples 

 were packed in glass jars 



