Prop., Constituents, &c. Cocoa, when unadulterated, forms a wholesome and highly nutritious beverage. Its active principle is theobromine, an alkaloid greatly resembling caffeine, the active principle of coffee and tea. A peculiar concrete oil, called cocoa-butter, or, more correctly, butter of cacao, is another important constituent, forming more than half the weight of the seed. The presence of
about 20% of albumen gives to cocoa its nutritive character.
Average composition of cocoa seeds.—(Wanklyn.)
| Per cent. | |
| Fat (cocoa butter) | 50·00 |
| Albumen, fibrine, and gluten | 18·00 |
| Starch | 10·00 |
| Gum | 8·00 |
| Colouring matter | 2·60 |
| Water | 6·00 |
| Theobromine | 1·50 |
| Ash | 3·60 |
| Loss | 0·30 |
| 100·00 |
Dr Letheby calculated that a pint of cocoa made with 1 oz. of ground nibs would contain the following proportions of nutritious matters:—
| Nitrogenous matters | 96·2 | grains |
| Patty matter | 218·8 | ” |
| Gum, sugar, and extractive | 65·6 | ” |
| Mineral matters | 17·5 | ” |
| ——— | ||
| Total extracted | 398·1 |
Adult. Much of the cheap stuff sold as genuine cocoa is shamefully adulterated. Out of 68 samples of cocoa and chocolate examined by the ‘Lancet’ commission, 39 contained coloured earthy substances, as reddle, Venetian red, umber, &c. To some, chalk or plaster of Paris had been added, for the purpose of increasing the weight. Many of the samples consisted of sugar and starch, with only sufficient cocoa to impart a flavour. Cocoas containing a moderate amount of arrow-root or other starch must not be considered adulterated articles, for it is impossible to render cocoa soluble, or rather emulsive, without the addition of some diffusible substance.
