THE CAUSE OF EXPLOSION IN CHOCOLATE CANDIES' 



JOHN WEINZIRL 

 University of Washington, Seattle 



During the past three years a number of instances of explosion 

 of chocolate candies have been brought to the writer's attention. 

 It appears that explosion in chocolates is rather a common oc- 

 currence, that it affects a considerable percentage of certain 

 lots, and that few if any chocolate candy-makers escape the 

 difficulty. If the chocolates are sold soon after they are made 

 the trouble does not have time to develop, but concerns engaged 

 in wholesale manufacture are likely to be caught at times. In 

 case the trouble develops, the candy must be sold at a lowered 

 price; or it is worked over into other products. In either case 

 the economic loss is sufficiently great to merit a careful investi- 

 gation of the problem. 



SURVEY OF LITERATURE 



An extended search of the literature has been made, but no 

 reference dealing directly with this problem has been found. A 

 number of investigators, notably Prescott, Stiles, and Cummins, 

 have dealt with the sanitary aspects of the candy industry, but 

 the explosion of chocolates was not noted. 



The trade journal, Western Confectioner, July, 1920, contains 

 a two-page article by J. P. Booker, in which he says: "After 

 working on the problem for fourteen years, I am convinced that 

 the bursting of chocolates is caused by the germ coU." The 

 conclusion is said to be based upon the work of several chemists. 

 The germ is supposed to come from water and from starch. 



• Presented at seventy-third annual meeting, Society of American Bacteriolo- 

 gists, Dec, 28, 1921 



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