alysis that the cacao bean is rich in
fats, carbohydrates and protein, and that it contains small quantities
of the two stimulants, theobromine and caffein. In the whole range of
animal and vegetable foodstuffs there are only one or two which exceed
it in energy-giving power. If expressed in quite another way, namely, as
"food units," the value of the cacao bean stands equally high, as is
shown by the following figures taken from Smetham's result published in
the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 1914:

"FOOD UNITS."

Turnips 8
Carrots 12
Potatoes 26
Rice 102
Corn Flour 104
Wheat 106
Peas 113
Oatmeal 117
Coconut 159
Cacao Bean 183

These figures indicate the high food value of the raw material; we will
now proceed to consider the various products which are obtained from
it.

_Food Value of Cocoa._

AVERAGE COMPOSITION AND FUEL VALUE OF UNTREATED COCOA.

_Composition._ _Energy-giving power_
_Calories per lb._

Cacao Butter 28.0 = 1,183
Protein 18.3 = 340
Cacao Starch 10.2 } = 718
Other Digestible Carbohydrates, etc. 28.4 }
Stimulants {Theobromine 1.5
{Caffein 0.6
Mineral Matter 5.0
Crude Fibre 4.0
Moisture 4.0
----- -----
100.0 2,241
----- -----

("Soluble" Cocoa, _i.e._, cocoa which has been treated with alkaline
salts, is almost identical in composition, save that the mineral matter
is about 7.5 per cent.).

As cocoa consists of the cacao bean with some of the butter extracted--a
process which increases the percentage of the nitrogenous and
carbohydrate constituents--it will be evident that the food value of
cocoa powder is high, and that it is a concentrated foodstuff. In this
respect it differs from tea and coffee, which have practically no food
value; each of them, however, have special qualities of their own. Some
of the claims made for these beverages are a little remarkable. The
Embassy of the United Provinces in their address to the Emperor of China
(Leyden, 1655), in mentioning th