December i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRIGULTURIST, 
433 
ESSAYS ON THE FERMENTATION OF 
COCOA. 
(From the Trinidad “Agricultural liecord”) 
First ITiizb Essay. 
The fermentation of cocoa, or sweating as it is 
often termed, is very properly considered as an essen- 
tial part of its preparation for the manufacturer’s use. 
The principal objects to be obtained may be eet down 
as the development of flavour, the suppression of the 
bitter principle, so marked in the Trinidad varieties, 
and a certain allotropic modification of its substance 
(i.e., the Cotyledons) not easily recognised by chemi- 
cal analysis. 
Fermentation properly consists of decomposition or 
slow combustion (oxidisation) accompanied by the 
formation of new products ; in the case of cocoa this 
is spontaneous, and must by no means be confounded 
with the scientific methods known to malsters, dis- 
tillers, &c., in the process here dosciibed, the object 
being not to deal with the products, but to affect 
the cocoa bean by long continued heat, moisture, &c., 
and, furthermore, to remove the adherent palp. This 
sweating must not be regarded either as a simple pro- 
cess; on the contrary, it includes, more or lets, the 
secondary fermentations, such as the lactous, butyric, 
mucous and putrefactive or eremacausis. 
The cocoa pulp to be ferment', d is a viscous gummy 
mass not unlike the subotanoe of the custard apple or 
soursop, and contains an abundance of fruit sugar, 
cellulose and carbo-hydrates necessary to support com- 
bustion or fermentation; it also ijofsesses, as many 
other fruits do, within itself a natural diastase and 
yeast ferment ; having, therefore, been in contact 
with atmospheric air and then closed up in a chamber, 
packed wi h plantain leaves, &c., the alcoholic fermen- 
tation is readily established, the self-contained natiwal 
ferments, as already described, being soon supplemen- 
ted by countless bacteria from the air. 
If the mode of proceeding in sweating or fermenting 
cocoa was the same throughout, it might bo easily 
described. Such is, however, very far from being the 
case. The great difficulty is that the Trinidad varieties 
(termed on the Spanish Main “ Trinitario ”) are so 
very different in character, “ each sub-variety or hy- 
brid requiring a different period of fermentation,” that 
the planter is at his wit’s end to make his batch 
turn out all alike, and nearly every one has, there- 
fore, “a way of his own.” 
On the best estates in Venezuela the Criolo alone 
is planted, but as it was found not to bear so well as 
the “Trinitario,” our seed some time ago was exten- 
sively p’anted along the Guiria Coast, but after a short 
experience they concluded that the choicer and higher 
priced cocoa paid best, and I have myself seen plan- 
ters in that district rooting out our cocoa trees from 
their plantations. 
Tho Oriolo is much better flavoured than any other, 
and requires but three days’ fermentation. This choice 
kind has been extensively planted in Trinidad, but 
surrounded with inferior plants (and perhaps on inferior 
soil) it has become hybridised and assimilated to tho 
native sorts, and has not maintained its supremacy, 
so we must ever look to the mixture of Criolo, 
Forestero and Oalabacillo, &c., with which we are 
blessed, only taking especial care in picking to ex- 
clude pasi or flat beans and unripe pods. If our 
varieties were well marked and we determined the 
exact temperature and the precise number of days 
that each kind wauled, then, as many jjersons ad- 
vocate, it would bo well to separate them in the field, 
but practical men know bettor than to attempt this, 
or, at least, on any largo scale, and they are contented 
to deal with them as a whole. 
The general practice in fermentaiion varies from 
that of the small conuqaero, whose object is to realise 
quickly and to get the utmost weight possible, to the 
elaborate plan of Mr. F. Strickland extending over 
fifteen days. Tho comiqucro puts up his beans to drain 
and foithwith exposes them to the sun for, say, five 
or six hours, then heaped and packed up, they sweat 
afresh until tho following day, when they get five or 
six hours more sun and so on. Ho turns out a fair 
Go 
looking bean sometimes, and pays especial attention 
to its red appearance, inasmuch as ho knows that the 
light red will always bring another dollar per fanega 
in tho local market ; tlrs is true, and is probably owing 
to the fact of its weighing lighter and being cleaner, 
due to the more careful rubbing and removal of the 
gummy coating. In America this red cocoa is es- 
pecially approved, and quite regardless of the interior 
condition of the bean; this may be of a very dark 
brickdust colour varying, according to the quality, to 
purple or yellow. Another contrivance of the small 
grower is that of bagging the cocoa at end of day, 
whi’st^ still hot from exposure to sun, and so to sweat 
it during the night ; this little scheme was learned 
from the Venezuelans, and is often practiced in Port- 
of-Spain by cocoa dealers to improve unfermented cocoa. 
Next we trace the system of the more pretentious 
planter who boasts of elaborate sweating and drying 
houses; their fermentation varies from five to eight 
days, the process, however, is carried on “without 
the least reference to the thermometer” in close 
chambers, and it is certain that in many cases they 
heat the cocoa up to a stage at which alcoholic fer- 
mentation could not go on, say 100°. What follows 
then is deslruotion of the diastase and other ferments, 
and slower type of fermentation or ereniacautis (as in 
manure) the cocoa beoomiug eventually fustv and sour, 
The planter working on such a scale should “break 
bulk,” as the tobacco p’anters term it, when it reaches 
140° or earlier. 
Treat it as you may, however, fermentation at high 
temperatures cannot go on beyond eight days, for the 
•reafon that the fuel, i.e., the Sugar, is all exhausted, 
if not the ferment.^, and although it may be possible 
to start it afresh by adding some invert and a little 
dried yeast, in the same way as tobacco curers often 
referment fusty tobacco, yet, most men wi'l say “ cui 
hono.’’^ At the best it will contain a largo proportion of 
unsatisfactory beans which on section will shew their 
inferiority, and, “ nota bene,” section is the test 
employed by all brokers now in examining samples of 
high class cocoa. At this stage of our inquiry it will 
be proper to consider the bearing of the state of the 
weather oii fermentation as just described, a very 
important matter, where the c.icoa has to bo dried 
during persistent rains, and this very often happens 
when the crop comes in early. The small proprietor 
then is not so very unreasonable, according to his 
light, in making the fermenting and drying process go 
hand in band as it were, for the partially fermented 
cocoa stands damp weather and absence of sun longer 
than that which has been thoroughly treated. Un- 
sweated cocoa, moreover, gives the same results on 
analysis as any other, and although it is not aromatic, 
and fetches a smaller price, the poor man argues that it 
is bettor than a dead loss. A much better remedy for 
these troubles will, however, be found further on. 
It would be a mere waste of time to dwell longer 
upon the unsatisfactory short and unscientific method 
ill common use, so we will pass on to the plan intro- 
duced by Mr. Strickland and for which he deserves 
full credit. His system has been adopted with various 
modiftcatious in both Grenada and Trinidad, but to 
understand its importance we must study the com- 
position of tho bean first, and see bow it is affected by 
the fermenting process according to the different 
varieties. 
Reviewii'g twelve separate analyses by such eminent 
authorities as Professor Parkes, Hassall, Playfair and 
others, one is surprised lo see that their estimation of 
fat or cocoa butter should vary from dfi to 66 per cent. 
The late Professor McCarthy found from 18 to 
28 percent, (from uncured cocoa probably). Is this 
a shir upon chemical science, or does it not rather prove 
the w'iJe diversity of our cocoas iu respect to that 
particular constituent and, thereby, explain the differ- 
ent requiicmeuts with regard to fermentation t The 
average of these analyses is follows : — 
Cocoa butter ... ... 50 
Albumeuoid substances ... 20 
Starch ... ... 13 
Salta ... ... 1 
