By-Products

Cocoa And Its

Interesting Data About Value of Shell

In July, fallowing an inquiry by a New* Guinea planter interested in cocoa, wo asked the Department of Commerce, Can berra, for information about the value andb use of cocoa shell. The secretary of th« Department, very courteously, has suppliedß us with the following statement:— THE whole cocoa industry was the sub ject of a report by the Imperial Eco nomic Committee in 1932, and it is noted from this document that the prin cipal outlet of the shell is as a food fori livestock. It is .said to contain about 19 %o of albuminoids and 46% of digestible car bohydrates and when mixed with othen food in moderate quantities is valuable as an appetiser and growth stimulant.

Apart from its use as a fodder, cocoas shell yields about 67 lb. of potassium car bonate per ton, and has been success fully employed as a manure.

Cocoa shell contains about 1% theo bromine which is an important and valu able medicine, particularly as a heart! tonic for elderly people, and it has beenr found profitable to extract it for prepar ation as a drug.

Ordinarily speaking, cocoa is an emul sion not an infusion. In some countries* however, the practice h,as existed for many, years of making an infusion from thee cocoa shell known in Germany, e.g., as “cocoa tea”.

During the Great War, cocoa shell was sold in large quantities in England for thee same purpose. Though the beverage can

not compare in nutritive value with that made with cocoa powder, those who made use of it found it agreeable, and it is evident that in such an infusion the theo bromine from the shell exercises a stimu lating effect, as in tea proper.

The inner coating of the cocoa shell contains a thin film of cocoa butter which is a very valuable by-product. As a gen eral rule, however, this film is not utilised separately, since the bean itself, free from shell, contains more than 50% cocoa butter.

About three-fifths of this cocoa butter is expressed from the bean before grinding takes place. Recent research indicates that cocoa butter is a rich source of Vita min D. and possibly a source of Vitamin A. The film referred to above also con tains a relativelv high nronortion of these valuable elements. Thus the value of cocoa shells as a stock food would appear to be enhanced. It is doubtful, however, whether shells could be used profitably as foodstuffs, as the only part which could be utilised would be the small quantity of cocoa butter present. This would be more difficult to extract than is the rest of the cocoa butter obtained from the nibs and furthermore the extraction of butter from the shells would deprive them of the valu able properties which make them esteemed as stock food.

Australian Imports

Turning to an examination of the situ ation in Australia, we find that during the last two financial years for which statistics are available, imports of Cocoa Beans and Shells have been as follows: —

The rate of duty on Beans and Shells from foreign countries is id. per lb., while the product of New Guinea. Western Samoa and British Colonies enters free of customs duty. A bounty of I’id. per lb. or £l4 per ton is given on imports of cocoa beans from the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

This bounty is granted in order to as sist the New Guinea planter to market his product at prices lowefc- than those paid for African and other beans.

The fact that during 1936-37 the import value of Nigerian beans was recorded at £53 (Australian Currency) per ton, whereas that of New Guinea beans was as low as £3l/10/- per ton may be due to several causes. Firstly, Forastero is the principal variety of cocoa grown in New Guinea on a plantation scale. This does not yield cocoa beans equal in quality to the Criollo variety, but it comes into bear ing much more quickly, is a heavier bearer, and Is much hardier. Secondly, beans from the Gold Coast and from the West Indies enjoy an excellent reputation for quality and grading, and it would appear that New Guinea beans have not yet at tained the goodwill which brings enhanced prices. The third reason for the dis parity in price may be found in the fact that the large Australian manufacturers of cocoa powder and chocolate have im ported their extensive supplies from British West Africa, and they would be loth to change from a source of supply which has proved quite satisfactory over a number of years, particularly in view of the fact that the present production in New Guinea would not be nearly suffi cient for their requirements.

Bounty On Cocoa Shells

In his letter of the 9th May to you. your correspondent inferred that because the Commonwealth Government granted a bounty of £l4 per ton on cocoa shells, there must be a good demand for them, This does not necessarily follow, however, particularly in view of the fact that the object of the bounty is to assist in the development of the Mandated Territory, and also because it has special reference io cocoa beans. No payments have been made—in recent years, atjail exports of New Guinea shells shipped separately, but as the shells sometimes become detached fiom the beans during transit,.the* ?!? the weight of the entire contents that is beans and shells where they have obviously been components of the one shipment.

I am informed that after the cocoa pods are picked th,ev are split, and the beans

are fermented and dried. They are then packed with the least possible delay and transported to their destination. The point to note is that, during fermentation and drying, the beans usually remain in side the shell and are not separated un> til roasting and winnowing take place in the cocoa-powder manufactory, although, as mentioned above, a small percentage of shells may become detached in transit, It ig difficult to see, therefore, why your correspondent should be interested in Aud jng. a mar^e t f o r cocoa shells, since gen erally they pass out of the planter’s hands W ien the beans are sold, and it is quite possible*that he may be interpreting cocoa shell as “ the husk or outside of the pod. which contains the thirty or more beans, No bounty is granted in respect of cocoa husks> an * d it g is doubtful whether they could be utilised in Australia, because their value would be small and the com paratively high freight rate would make

Australia —Imports of Cocoa Beans and Shells.

Raw. 1935-36. 1936-37.

Suppliers. Weight £stg Weight £stg (10001b.) (10001b.) Total 14.752 171,442 14,496 283,336 N. Guinea . . . . 267 2,568 258 2,921 Africa, Brit. W. 12,103 133,837 12.347 235,651 Ceylon 323 4,924 446 12,549 W. Indies, Brit. 734 10,815 596 16,284 Ecuador 631 10.785 426 9,091 Brazil 310 3,175 199 2,612 Other 382 5.338 220 4.228

shipment uneconomical.

This Department is willing to help your correspondent in every way possible, but it is desirable first of all to clarify the point mentioned in the preceding para graph,. If he actually has supplies of cocoa shells—as opposed to husks—avail able I shall be glad to contact Australian firms who may be interested in import ing them. If, on the other hand, he has in mind the disposal of cocoa husks, I fear that the prospects of marketing them in Australia are negligible.