West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-06-22
THERE IS PoIsoNIN CANDY.
Some Simple Tests that Can be Applied
by Any One Who Suspects His
Dealer.

The Board of Health has not in
terfered often with the manufacture
of candy in New York, though the
fact that candy is very frequently
adulterated is well known, and there
can be no doubt that occasional in
tcrscrence would be wholesome. Ii
would be doing injustice to many
confectioners to say that the prac
tice is almost universal, and yet one
is tempted to say 1t, for the proper
tion of adulteratcd confectionery
that is sold is very large compared
with the pure. The subject has not
escaped notice. and DIR. Edison has
recently given some points OF inter
est to every candy eater, and has de
scribed some simple tests that may
be easily and advantageous applied
before eating any suspected candy.
He describes the authorizations as
being of three kinds; those for bulk,
those for color and those for fla
yor.
For bulk, in order to increase the
profits, the coniectioner will use ter
ra alba, kaolin, ground quartz, whit
ing and starch. These DIR. Edison
declares injurious, though not pois
onous. He advises that q little Of
the suspected candy be dissolved in
cold water. II kaolin or quartz has
been used it will settle to the bot
tom Of the glass. II whiting (ground
chalk J is present a little acid will
make the solution eficrvesee. If
there is starch, a drop or two of
tincture of iodine will turn the solu-
tion to blush color. lf
BY burning a little of the candy
and mixing the ashes in water and
adding a little chloride of barinm, a
white cloudiness may be produced.
If it is, there is probably terra alba
in the candy. Authorizations for
color he says, are some Of them
harmless, and some highly injurious.
He recommends that little of the
candy be dipped in alcohol. 1.-THE
color is dissolved out, dip white
woolen yarn in the solution. If the
yarn is colored, the adulteration is
probably a coal tar color;iif this is
red, it may contain arsenic. 1fthe
alcohol does not remove the color put
o drop of hypochlorte of calcium in
solution on the candy. IT the color
fades out it is probably harmless.
The commonest poison used for col
or is chrome yellow, which is very
dangerous poison. Pour ammonia
on the candy. III 1t turns red it con-
tains turmcric, which is harmless.
Dissolve some Of the candy in clear
tumbler of water. Hold this in the
sunlight and look at the water
against black background. If it
looks yellow-green as seen against
the black, and yellow when held to
theligbt, it is harmless. Itcontains
fuorescein. Ifthese results arc not
obtained, don't cat the candy. 1t
probably contains chrome yellow.
Again dissolve bit Of any suspected
chocolate or brown colored candy in
glass of hot water, and see II any
burnt umber is left in the bottom un-
dissolved, in the form of brown,
gritty residue. If so don't eat the
candy. No simple test is known by
which to detect the presence OF prus-
sic acid, fusel oil, oil Of vitriol, wood
alcohol and rancid butter, all Of
which with some other ingredients
are sometimes used to give a pleas
ant flavor TO the candy. But il the
candy was bought from a reputable
first st-class dealer, and any Of it is
left after all these tests are applied,
you may eat it without serious ap-
prchensions.
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