COCOA BY-PRODUCTS 41 
presence of the alkaloidal bases in the solvent-extracted cocoa sug- 
gests that it may have value as raw material in the preparation of 
theobromine, but detracts from its intrinsic value as a source of 
plant food. 
The solubility or quality of the nitrogen of the solvent-extracted 
residue is a little lower than that of the cocoa cake. 
Cacao shells, as separated in the factory, amount to about 10 per 
cent of the weight of raw cacao beans, so that some 20,000 tons 
of commercial shells are produced annually in the United States. 
Large quantities of the ground shells, known as cocoa-shell meal, are 
utilized as conditioning material in the manufacture of commercial 
fertilizers. The shells have been used as a feed stuff, but are of 
low nutritive value; and several French army horses are reported 
to have been fatally poisoned by the alkaloids present in shells fed 
them. 
Two samples of shells, believed to be representative of the com- 
mercial product, on analysis, were found to contain about 10 per 
cent of nib material. 
The shells contained less than three-fourths as much nitrogen, a 
little less phosphoric acid, and appreciably more potash than the 
average by-product cocoa cake. The quality of the nitrogen of the 
shells was lower than that of the cake and extracted-cocoa nitrogen. 
The relative market value for fertilizer purposes of average com- 
mercial bj'-product cocoa cake, dried extracted cocoa, and shells is 
estimated to be as 1.2 to 1.5 to 1.0 — on the basis of current prices 
for ammonia and potash in this type of material. 
LITERATURE CITED 
(1) Anonymous. 
11)24. cocoa butter manufacture. Cheni. Age [New York] 32 : 85-86. 
(2) Albert, F. 
1S99. ERGEBNISSE DER IN DER VERSUCHSWIRTSCHAFT LAUCHSTADT AUSGE- 
FUHRTEN FUTTERUNGSVERSUCHE. III. FUTTERUNGSVERSUCH MIT 
MASTSTIEREN ZUR PRUFUNG DES FUTTERWERTES VON KAKAO- 
schalen. Landw. Jahrb. 28: 972-975. 
(3) Association of Official Agricultural Chemists. 
1925. official and tentative methods of analysis. compiled by 
the committee on editing methods of analysis. revised to 
july l, 1924. Eel. 2, 535 p., illus. Washington, D. C. 
(4) Bailey, E. M. 
1923. report on commercial fertilizers, 1923. Conn. State Agr. Expt. 
Sta. Bui. 250, 88 p. 
(5) Baker, J. L., and Hulton, H. F. E. 
1918. estimation of shell in cocoa and cacao products. Analyst 43 : 
197-201. 
(6) Beythien, A., and Pannwitz, P. 
1916. uber den nachweis von kakaoschalen. Ztschr. Untersuch. 
Nahr. u. Genussmtl. 31 : 265-281. 
(7) Brackett, R. N. 
1921. ten years experience with the neutral permanganate 
method in the fertilizer inspection work in south 
Carolina. Amer. Fert. 55 (9) : 29-33. 
(S) Cathcart, C. S. 
1915. ANALYSES AND VALUATIONS OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS AND 
ground bone. N. J. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 2S7, 68 p. 
(9) 
1920. ANALYSES OF COMMERCIAL FEEDING STUFFS AND REGISTRATIONS FOR 
1920. X. J. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 342, 62 p. 
(10) Chalmers, T, W. 
1918. THE PRODUCTION AND TREATMENT OF VEGETABLE OILS. 152 p., UlUS. 
New York. 
