6 BULLETIN 1307, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
CANDY AND CANDY MAKING MATERIALS 
Candy factories sometimes become infested with insects which, 
might easily be destroyed by fumigation with hydrocyanic acid if it 
would not injure the candies and the materials from which they are 
made. Xut meats, candies, chocolate, and cocoa were fumigated and 
tested in the same way as the dried fruits (p. 3). The results of 
these experiments are given in Table 3. 
The nut meats absorbed a very large proportion of hydrocyanic acid. 
Most of it was loosely held, however, so that one day after the fumi- 
gation the content had fallen toll parts per million. This residue was 
more firmly held and part of it remained for 30 to 90 days. 
The difference in absorption between the chocolate creams and the 
coated nut meats seems to have resulted largely from the difference 
in surface. The coated nut meats were much rougher and therefore 
had a larger proportionate surface area. 
The cocoa had a large original absorption and retained what it 
absorbed. The chocolate absorbed much less. This can be explained 
on the ground that the cocoa was finely powdered, giving each unit 
of weight a large surface area.- Each unit of weight of the chocolate 
had a much smaller area of surface. 
Table 4. — Hydrocyanic acid in fumigated cereals, meat, cheese, and dried milk 
Tempera- 
ture of 
fumigation 
Hydrocyanic acid present (parts per million) 
Product and condition for 
fumigation 
Beein- 
End 
Ini- 
tial 
Stored at about 70° F. 
for— 
Stored at about 40° F. 
for— 
j ning 
1 
day 
7 
days 
30 
days 
90 
days 
1 
day 
7 1 30 
days ! days 
90 
days 
I °F. 
°F. 
66 
Prepared cereal in unopened 
10 
11 
88 
36 
34 
2 
6 
28 
22 
11 

4 
11 
9 
7 
Prepared cereal, wax paper j 

4 
4 
Wheat cereal in unopened 
Corn flakes in unopened car- 
Oat flakes in unopened carton 
Meats . 

82 
85 
, 
100 
86 
80 
170 
66 
180 
190 
220 
28 
28 
13 
28 
7 
3 
7 

2 
39 
39 
55 
26 
13 
Cheese '_ 63 ! 60 
American Swiss, whole — 
44 



Imported Swiss, in 1-ounce j 
piece — 
149 
110 
Roquefort, half-pound, un- 
49 
14 
Cream — 
110 
110 
110 
88 
55 
55 
22 
22 
18 
80 
9 
1 
