The tropical 
AGRICULTURIST. [Ja\.' 1, 19OO. 
, ■ • TXBIM It 
Samples op C coa Essence consisting of Cocoa 
from which aboiu two-thirds of the original fat has 
been xemtved and some potash salts added. 
N0.4. N0.5. No. 6. No, 7. 
Van- 
Hou- Snch- Roun- Tay- 
ton's- ard's tree's, lor's. 
Price per lb. 3s. 2s 9d. 23 9d 2s lOd. 
Water (lost li' 2120 F) .. 2-94 5-04 3-82 5 13 
Fat (Cocoa Butter) .. 30-10 33-40 32-50 31-70 
•Albuminoids and Theobro- 
mine .. 21-H4 20-00 19-30 18-23 
Mucilage, Gmn, &c. .. 1003 8 25 904 10-05 
Glucose and Dextrine .. -97 1-75 1 76 2 15 
Natural Starch and Diges- 
tible Fibre ..21-44 19-47 21-83 2129 
Indigestible Fibre (Cellu- 
lose) ,. 4-26 4-93 3-83 4-26 
fAsh or Mineral Matter .. 862 7-16 7-92 7-20 
Uelting point of Fat 
•Containing Nitrogen , . 
fContaining Potash 
Uechanical condition, Fine- 
ness and state of granula- 
tion : — 
Powder passed through sieve 
having 10,000 holes to the 
square inch 
Residue left on sieve 
100-00 100-00 100-00 100 00 
840F 820F 850F 81°F 
3- 42 3-16 3-05 2 88 
4- 49 3-35 4-24 3-41 
j-57- 
05 81-04 C2-51 93-]0 
42'95 18-96 37-49 4-90 
100 00 100-00 100-00 ICO CO 
Table III. 
Samples of Cocoa mixed with other materials. 
Price per lb. 
Water (lost at 212° F) 
Fat (Cocoa Butter) 
*Albnminoid3 and Theobro- 
mine . . ... 
MuL-ilage, Gum, &c. 
Sugar, Glucose and Dex-. 
triue . . 
Starch and Digestible Fibr< 
Indigestible Fibre (Celln- 
cose) 
f Ash or Mineral Matter 
Tibbie's. 
No. 9 Epp' 
s. d. 
s d. 
2 9 
1 2 
5-04 
4-58 
27-10 
26-40 
17-53 
7-27 
11-86 
11-82 
2-34 
18-08 
s 24-30 
28-45 
5-33 
1-40 
6-50 
1-50 
100 00 
10000 
80° F 
83° F 
2 77 
1 16 
2-68 
•64 
Melting point of fat 
*Coutaiiiing Nitrogen 
fCoutainiug Potash 
Mechanical condition, fineness and state of grana* 
lation : — 
Powder passed through 
sieve having 10,000 
holes to the square inch 76-35 42-74 
23-65 57-26 
Residue left ou .sieve 
100-00 
] 00-00 
BEMABKS. 
FroTi the above results it will be seen that in 
Tiible I., the chief variation in quality depends upon 
the amount of fat removed from the original cocoa 
Cadbury's containing only 2501 per cent while the 
sample of the Army and Navy Stores contained as 
much as 37-20 of fat. 
Pure cocoa contains originally from 50 t" 5-2 per 
cent of flit and from 2 20 to 2 35 per cent of Nitrogen. 
The removal of the fat renders the essence or re- 
sidue richer in Nitrogen and in the other constituents 
of cocoa. 
How far the removal of the fat should be carried 
of naturally "an important point to be ccnaidered with 
is view of rendering the material digestible and pala- 
table. 
Doubtless some person will prefer cocoa rich in fat 
while other persons will prefer a quality from which 
more of the fat has been removed, consequently the 
selection must be a personal matter. 
In Table II., the samples consist of cocoa with a 
slight addition of potash salts. Why potash salts 
should have been added is not quite apparent, as 
the quantity present cannot very materially affect tt-e 
solubility of the cocoa, though possibly the digesti- 
bility may be somewhat improved thereby. 
The figures show that there is not very much varia- 
tion in the general composition of the four samples. 
Table III., represents the composition of two well 
known mixtures consisting of cocoa and other 
materials. 
No. 8. Dr. Tibbie's Vi-cocoa contains 2710 per 
cent of fat and 2 77 per cent of Nitrogen. Miciosco- 
pical examination shows that the bulk of the material 
consists of cocoa to which small quantities of ground 
kola nut, malt and hops have been added. 
Whatever may be claimed for it as " a restorative 
and stimulating food '' by the makers the actual 
figures br' nght out in the analysis indicate that there 
is less nitrogen and more indigestible fibre than exists 
in well known brands of pure cocoa. 
K". 0, The List of these samples contains very 
much less original cocoa than any of the others. The 
figures for fat name 26 40 per cent are very similar 
to those found in the previous samples, but the ex- 
ceptionally low figures for Nitrogen 1-15 at once in- 
dicate that other materials must be present in the 
mixture. 
On making a microscopical examination it is seen 
that considerable quaniities of arrowroot and coarsely 
crushed white sugar are present. 
Probably one-half of the mixture consists of pure 
cocoa with the whole of its original fat left in, whilst 
the other half consists of the above named ingredients. 
MECHANICAL CONDITION. 
The figures given under the heading of fineness 
and state of granulation represent the readiness with 
which the respective powders can be passed through 
a sieve having a mesh of 10,000 holes to the square inch. 
GENEEAL SOLUBILITT. 
The claim so frequently set up by certain makers 
that their cocoas are soluble, cannot be in any way 
supported by practical tests. 
From a number of experiments recently made it 
was clearly demonstrated that the actual amount 
of cocoa rendered soluble by the action of boiling 
water continued for half an hour in no case exceeded 
30 per cent; so that it is most undesirable that 
manufacturers should continue to put forth claims of 
superiority on the grounds of solubiHty. Cocoa is 
mixible, but certainly not completely soluble in hot 
water. John Hughes, F 1 C, 
Agricultural Analyst 
Analytical Laboratory, 79 Mark Lane, London, E. C. 
November 9th 1899. 
THE COCONUT INDUSTRY AT 
TRINCOMALEE. 
A. correspondent writes The coconut 
iiidustry, -which has been much neglected, is 
beginning to attract attention Mr. Lushing- 
ton's estate at Nilaveli is fully planted and 
the plants grow very rapidly. The soil is 
supposed to be the best of its kind and in 
process of time will compare favourably with 
any estates in the Eastern or North-Western 
Provinces. The timber, that was cut on the 
land, is now being sold for firewood with 
some profit to the owner. Several other lands 
on a small scale have been bought from 
Government and are now being converted 
into coconut estates." 
