—The fruit of the hicaco is small and round, varying from one to three inches in diameter. The average weight of each fruit is about 1⁄4 oz. The skin is thin and green in color, shading to red on the side exposed to the sun. It grows on a small shrub and is sometimes called the cocoa plum. The surface is somewhat shrivelled and wrinkled, and the seed weighs almost half as much as the whole fruit. The fruit is not eaten in a fresh state, but is used for making preserves. It is sweet to the taste and has a low acid content. The composition of the fresh fruit is shown by the following table:
Composition of Edible Portion
—68.9 percent.—
| Total solids, | 14.29 | percent |
| Total sugar, | 5.18 | „ |
| Protein, | .46 | „ |
| Acidity, | .10 | „ |
| Ash, | .96 | „ |
These data show that the hicaco is a fruit low in nutritive value, in so far as sugar is concerned, of a low content of protein and very slight acidity.
Hicaco Preserves.
—A sample of hicaco preserves was found to have the following composition:
| Total solids, | 65.07 percent | |
| Sugar, | 60.08 | „ |
| Protein, | .12 | „ |
| Ash, | .14 | „ |
| Acidity, | .05 | „ |
The above data indicate only the change in composition which would come from adding the sugar in the process of manufacture. By reason of the low acidity of the fruit the sugar in the preserves would, theoretically, be largely cane sugar. In the case mentioned, however, one-third of the sugar was inverted. Whether this was accomplished by the action of the acid on the sugar during the process of manufacture or whether by the use of molasses instead of sugar in the preserves does not appear. More likely it is due to the latter.