30 THECUBAREVIEW 



and in making confectionery (which is a special form of cookery) than in any other way. In 

 general it may be said that for ordinary cakes the proportion of sugar is not usually greater 

 than one part by measure to two parts of flour, and that too much sugar should not be used in 

 making puddings, cakes, etc., since oversweetening, like other forms of over flavoring, is re- 

 garded as a mark of unskilled cookery. In the case of canned fruits a common proportion is 

 one part of sugar to two parts of fruit by weight; for preserves, equal parts of sugar and fruit; 

 and for jelUes, three-quarters to one part by weight of sugar to one part of juice. 



Detailed recipes for making preserves, jellies, and similar articles are given in earlier 

 bulletins (p) in this series. Directions for making cakes, pies, puddings, and other such dishes 

 in which sugar is an important part can be found in cook-books and similar pubHcations. 



Candy of the better grade is very largely made up of sugar, with the addition of various 

 coloring matters and flavors, nuts, fruit, etc., and sometimes fat, starch, and commercial 

 glucose. The food value of most candies may be expressed by the amount of the sugar con- 

 tained (72 to 96 per cent), but as regards wholesomeness the other ingredients must be taken 

 into account. The coloring matters used in cheap candies are nearly all compounds of anilin 

 or other coal-tar products, some of which are thought to be harmless. Some of the coloring 

 matters and flavors used, however, have been shown to be harmful. Ordinary caution would 

 suggest that children, at least, be allowed to partake very sparingly of such unknown com- 

 pounds. Two hundred and fifty samples of cheap candy examined by the Bureau of Chemistry 

 of this department a few years ago were found to be made up largely of commercial glucose 

 with a little sugar and starch. Candies are often exijosed to the dust and dirt in stores and 

 ■booths, taken out of jars and boxes by dirty hands, or weighed in scales of questionable clean- 

 liness. Dangerous microorganisms such as are frequently present in dust may thus lodge on 

 them and be eaten with the candy. Cleanliness in the marketing of this class of goods is just 

 as necessary as in the case of fruits or vegetables, perhaps more so, as the others can be washed 

 if they are to be eaten raw, and candies would not be washed. 



Studies recently made in Pennsylvania(5) show that while there has been marked improve- 

 ment in the quality of cheap candies during the last few years, there is room for still greater 

 improvement in the form of these candies and the method of marketing them. Many are 

 made in the form of whistles, marbles, belts, and necklaces, which the cliildren often play with 

 and which become very dirty before they are eaten. The desirability of having candies wrapped 

 or at least protected from dust and dirt while exposed for sale is evident. 



The custom of marketing candies ^vTapped or of packing them in boxes, etc., at the factory 

 is a growing one, particularly \\ith the more expensive sorts, and is certainly a measure which 

 makes for cleanhness. With respect to the candies themselves, manufacturers who reaUze 

 their responsibility endeavor to insure sanitary conditions in their manufactories. In a num- 

 ber of States the candy factories, like other food manufactories, are inspected under State 

 auspices. 



SUGAR IN FRUITS 

 A large number of studies of fruits and fruit products by the CaUfornia experiment station 

 indicate that the food value of fruits is largely due to the various sugars they contain, the ones 

 most commonly found being cane sugar, grape sugar or dextrose, and fruit sugar or levulose, 

 the last two usually present together in equal quantities, in which case they are collectively 

 known as invert sugar though sometimes not in equal quantities, in which case they are called 

 reducing sugar. 



The stage of growth and the degree of ripeness have a very decided effect on the kind 

 and amount of sugar present in fruits, and it is therefore difficult to give average figures which 

 will fairly represent the quantities present. According to figures pubUshed several years ago, 

 invert sugar ranges from about 2 per cent in large early apricots to 15 per cent in grapes and a 

 variety of sweet cherries, while strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, and apples contain 

 about half the latter quantity. The cane sugar ranges from less than 1 per cent in lemons to 

 14 per cent in a variety of plums. Ripe bananas were also found to contain a fairly high per- 

 centage, namely, 11 per cent. 



p U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Buls. 203, Canned Fruit, Preserves and Jellies — Household Methods of Prepar- 

 ation; 359, Canning Vegetables in the Home; and 426, Canning Peaches on the Farm. 

 Q Pennsylvania Dept. Agr., Dairy and Food Div. Bui. 216. 



