[Illustration: Fig. 5. _Ausgestellt vom Verband deutscher Chocoladefabrikanten._
in _Frankreich_. _Grossbrittanien._ _Holland_ den _Verein. Staaten v. N-A._ und _Deutschland_ in 1000 Dz. (100 kg).
_Einfuhr von Rohkakao über die Deutsche Zollgrenze_ 1883-1901 _in Doppelzentnern_.
_Prozentuale-Steigerung_ des durchschnittl. Verbrauchs von _Kakao_ (in Bohnen) _Kaffee_ u. _Tee_ in _Deutschland_ verglichen mit dem Stande von 1840. ]
Graphical representation per head of the population for the last 75 years.]
The curve for the last ten years represents enormous advances, and contrasts with the more even line developed in earlier years. According to official reports, the average consumption of cacao per head between the years 1861-5 amounted to 0·03 kg. (tea 0·02 kg. and coffee 1·87 kg.) but had in 1910 risen to an average of 0·53 kg. per head.
Just as the beans of the cacao fruit are included under the botanical concept “Seed”, so also their chemical constituents closely resemble those common to every other seed. There are the usual reserve stuffs inherited from the mother plant, which serve as sustenance for the yet undeveloped organs, and compare with albumen in the feathered world. Apart from the constituents incidental to all plant life at this stage, such as albumin, starch, water, fat, sugar, cellulose and mineral stuffs such as ash, the cacao seed has two other components peculiar to itself; ~Theobromine~ and ~Cacao-red~. We adjoin a succession of chemical determinations respecting the quantitative proportions of these substances in the seed, and think further that we may be allowed to cite the results of fore-time investigators in this sphere, especially as their work has formed the basis for all future operations, and again, in view of the doubt which still prevails in scientific circles as to the “Normal” composition of the cacao bean.
Percentage Composition of the Hulled Bean.
=====================+=============+================================== Analyst | Payen[20] |Lampadius[20]| Mitscherlich[20] =====================+=============+=============+===========+======== Constituents percent| Undescribed | West Indies | Guayaquil | Caracas =====================+=============+=============+===========+======== 1. Water | 10·0 | 3·40 | 5·60 | — 2. Nitrogenous matter| 20·0 | 16·70 | 14·39 | — 3. Theobromine | 2·2 | — | 1·20 | — 4. Fat | 52·0 | 53·10 | 45-49 | 46-49 5. Cacao-red | — | 2·07 | 3·50 | — 6. Sugar | — | — | 0·60 | — 7. Gum and Starch | 10·0 | 7·75 | 14·30 | 13·5 8. Woody fibre | 2·0 | 0·90 | 5·80 | — 9. Ash | 4·0 | 3·43 | 3·50 | —