Improvements to Bananas,
p. 161 · Read in the full issue
Cocoa and Sugar
WEST Indies experts are seeking to produce better bananas, cocoa and sugar.
Banana research is designed to produce suitable export varieties which are resistant to fungus diseases. The susceptible high quality cultivated trees are being crossed with disease-resistant wild varieties.
Chocolate flavour in cocoa beans depends on a fermentation process.
The problem of the changes during fermentation is being studied by a bio-chemist.
The use of sugar by-products is another big question. A new cheap process has been developed by making fructose, which is much cheaper than common sugar and can be safely eaten by diabetics.