POISON!

2oz of CHOCOLATE - Lethal for a 16lb dog

Killer is THEOBROMINE— absorbed much slower in dogs causing toxic & deadly results: • Increases heart rate • Stimulates Central Nervous System• Constricts arteries.

Symptoms: Vomiting, Diarrhoea,

Restlessness, Seizures, Cardiac Arrest, & DEATH.

A deadly reaction can occur as soon as 4 hours after eating.

Made from Carob

CERATONIA SILIQUA

Carob Tree

• Flowering evergreen shrub or tree of the pea family. • Grows up to 15 metres tall. • Native to the Mediterranean • Widely cultivated for edible pods + as an ornamental tree.

Limburger cheese

• DIOECIOUS (male & female flowers)• HERMAPHRODITE (genderless) • XEROPHYTIC (drought-resistant)

• Only Mediterranean tree with main flowering season in autumn.

• Flowers - small + numerous.• Pollinated - wind + insects.

• Male trees don't produce fruit.

PollinationOne male should be included for every 25 or 30 females.

Sometimes branches from male trees are grafted onto some

females instead of inter planting males.

One of most useful native Mediterranean trees.

1.Traditionally - animal & human food. (currently seed for gum extraction)2.Food source - carob pods stored & transported long distances

3.Can adapt to a wide range of soil types 4.Intercropping with olive, vines or almond is common.5.Needs little pruning6.Traditionally, orchards hardly fertilized

Cuttings taken from fruit-bearing carob trees may bear fruit in as few as 3-4 years. Ripening of the pods starts May-June and is a gradual process. Harvesting time (Sept-Oct)

World production About 310,000 tonnes pa

From some 200,000 hectares Spain = leading producer, on average 135,000 tonnes pa

Carob pods were an important source of sugar pre sugarcane & beets.

Greece: Carob syrup natural sweetener.

3 times more calcium than milk.

Rich in iron, phosphorus & natural fibre

MALTA

Used since siege of

World War 2

Food Use - Pulp

• Cocoa-like flour added to cold or hot milk for drinking. • In bread or pancakes. •Breakfast foods. • Chocolate bars. •Honey-like syrup, or molasses.•Alcoholic beverages.

Food Use - Seeds• Gum • Commercial stabilizer & thickener

(Ice cream, salad dressings, sauces, cheese, jelly, mustard, salami, bologna, canned meats & fish)

• Sugar-free flour for diabetics• Substitute for coffee

Animal Feed1. Pods relished by horses, cattle,

pigs, goats & rabbits. 2. High tannin content, pods should

constitute no more than 10% of total feed, depress growth rate.

3. They cannot be fed to chickens.

Carob bean gum uses & technical applications

1.Pharmaceuticals2.Cosmetics3.Textiles4.Paper5.Chemicals6.Petroleum7.Mining8.Well sinking9.Concrete10.Explosives

"CARAT" from Greek for ancient practice of weighing gold and gems against carob seeds.

Eventually standardized, one carat fixed at 0.2 grams.

Wood: Heartwood is hard and close-grained. Prized for turnery & cabinetwork. As a fuel it burns slowly Makes excellent charcoal. Yields Algarrobin, which gives textiles a light-brown hue.

Research as an alternative biofuel.