880 



Nov. 1900. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



Cacao Cultivation in Ceylon. IV. 



By Herbert Wright. 



FERMENTATION OP CACAO. 

 (Illustrated.) 

 Object op the Process, 



Briefly stated, the object of fermenting cacao seeds is to remove the 

 sugary pulp surrounding them, to promote chemical changes within the kernels, 

 to convert the bitter astringent taste into a sweet one, and to improve their colour, 

 fracture, and flavour. Such changes are brought about when large numbers 

 of seeds, fresh from the fruit, are heaped together and allowed to remain in contact 

 with one another. Though the process involves a relative high temperature 

 it is very rare that the latter destroys the embryo of the seed ; to a certain extent 

 fermentation is a continuation of the processes commenced in the seeds after maturity. 

 Ordinary fermented seeds, if dried under unfavourable conditions will germinate, 

 the prevention of such developments being one of the main objects of curing ; this 

 proves that the fermenting of cacao does not involve chemical changes harmful to 

 the vitality of the seeds. 



The necessity of, and improvement in quality effected by, the ordinary 

 fermentation of cacao are generally acknowledged ; nevertheless, some countries do 

 as little fermenting as possible, and in some places this operation is entirely neglected. 

 According to some authorities the purple colour and bitter taste of the unfermented 

 dried seeds are wanted by some markets. 



In 1902, several experiments were made at the Experiment Station, Pera- 

 deniya, with the object of effecting a good curing of seeds which had been fermented 

 inside the fruit. In the first experiment the fruits were exposed to the sun for 

 seven days until the wall was brown and brittle ; the seeds were then cured in the 

 sun, some after washing, others without washing. The cured seed prepared in this 

 manner was dark in colour externally ; internally it was very uneven in colour and 

 not at all brittle. In a second experiment the fresh unbroken fruits were placed in 

 a curing house, and kept at a temperature of about 100° F. for three days. The 

 beans, fermented under such conditions, were subsequently cured in the sun as in the 

 first experiment, and with very nearly the same results. In a third experiment 

 fresh seeds were exposed to the sun without any fermenting, but with poor results. 

 In none of these experiments did the results obtained justify the change in our 

 method of fermenting. All the seeds which were fermented inside the fruit, or 

 cured without being fermented, had to be placed along with the "black" cacao, 

 owing to the pliable nature and uneven colour of the substance of the seed. 



METHODS OP FERMENTING. 



It is now necessary to describe the various methods of fermenting 

 adopted in different cacao-growing countries. In Ceylon most cacao planters adopt 

 what may be termed the natural method of fermenting, which consists of heaping 

 the fresh seeds on the floor or in receptacles and covering them with leaves of the 

 banana, ordinary cloth, or layers of these alternating with layers of earth. The 

 fermenting floor is usually built with a slope, so that the watery products may escape 

 during fermentation. Each heap may consist of four or more bushels of fresh seeds, 

 which are turned over every day to prevent the temperature rising too high and to 



