The History of Food Preservation: How Science in the 18th and 19th Centuries Changed the Food Industry

1
The History of Food Preservation How Science in
the 18th and 19th Centuries Changed the Food
Industry

• Sally Tobler
• December 12, 2006

2
Overview

• Continuous evolution evidence dating back to
  20,000 years ago.
• Drastic improvements only happening in the last
  200 years.
• Science during this period (18th and 19th
  centuries) heavily influenced preservation and
  the food industry.

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Preservation Effects

• Permitted less nomadic travels
• Communities, civilizations established
• Expeditions were extended in time and routes
• Increasing populations had better supplies of
  foods
• Helped eliminate food borne diseases
• Supplies could last throughout seasons, extending
  life expectancies.

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Preservation Methods

• Five main ways to preserve foods and remove
  microorganisms
• Chemicals
• Drying
• Refrigeration
• Canning
• Radiation
• The last three methods are current practices,
  developed and modified in the last two centuries.

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Egyptian Preservation

• Most of the preservation used in Egypt focused on
  grains and cereals.
• Methods used were primarily storage and drying.
• Storage of grains important in fear of the Nile
  not flooding regularly and crops not being
  nourished.
• Storage facilities were located throughout
  communities for distribution.
• The storage and drying processes provided
  distinguished jobs.

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Egyptian Preservation

• Beer was a common staple of the Egyptian diet.
• Evidence of beer dates back to 4000 B.C.
• Breweries and bakeries were complex structures.
• Wine was produced as well, only for the elite.
• Fish and meats were also preserved, by drying and
  some salting.
• First area to demonstrate the use of sweeteners,
  such as honey in their diets and foods.

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Mesopotamian Preservation

• Earliest wine making evidence- dating back to
  6000 B.C.
• This viticulture spread to Egypt.
• Writing first developed in this region in the
  late 4th century B.C.
• Evidence of ration lists, food distributions and
  granary inventories.
• Narratives passed on about preservation methods.

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Mesopotamian Preservation

• First evidence of ovens.
• tannur ovens
• Beehive shape, stood upright
• Made of out clay and gypsum
• Withstand temps up to 850C
• Used to cook grains and breads.
• Fish was commonly dried, smoked, and pressed for
  oils.
• The early beer and wine added important proteins
  and nutrients to the diets since the beverages
  were very low in alcoholic content

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Early Methods

• The early methods of brewing, baking, and
  winemaking created products that allowed trades
  and commerce.
• Storage of grains added tetracyclines to the
  diets, which probably helped resist many diseases
  and infections.
• The preserved products also introduced proteins
  and vitamins into the diets.

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Other Early Methods

• Pompeii- jars of fruit preserved in honey.
• Rome- first preserved ham
• Vikings laid fish in the riggings of their ships
  to let sea wind dry their fish.
• Early North American Indians- pemmican
• Remove fat, cook meat, then grind fat and meat
  into a paste.
• Prevented deterioration.
• Important for fur traders during the 17th , 18th
  , 19th centuries.
• New stoneware developed during the 16th centuries
• Could stand high temperatures 1200-1400C

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Food Preservation Shift

• During the 17th and 18th centuries, new
  ingredients were being created.
• Imported spices and sugars increased the variety
  of foods.
• The 18th century created a shift in food
  preservation from a necessity for survival to a
  desire for delicacies.
• 1735- botulism first recognized (from sausage
  use)
• Food preservation methods used were not effective
  enough for long term use.
• Better methods were needed for safer food
  consumption.
• Switch from primitive methods used to flavor
  foods to newer scientific techniques that removed
  life from food.

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Reasons for Better Methods

• Britains population doubled within the 19th
  century.
• Starvation, malnutrition
• Agricultural machinery improving- fertilizers
  developed
• Extensions of railways and transportation
  systems.
• In America, no commercial food preservation.
• During and after the Civil War, United States was
  producing 500,000 tons of preserved foods per
  year.
• Microbial causes of deterioration and disease
  were being discovered.
• Food technology was being seen in a more
  scientific way.

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Spallanzani

• Did not believe in spontaneous generation (the
  common idea during the 18th century)
• Did not believe that animalcules rose from dead
  substances.
• Instead of corking glass vessels, he sealed
  vessels containing soup with glass.
• After boiling each vessel for periods of time, he
  removed to let cool for a while an then observed.
• Vessels that had been sealed with glass and
  boiled for an hour showed no animalcules vessels
  that had been sealed and boiled for a few minutes
  still showed microbes.
• He realized that the animalcules got into the
  soups from the air, not by spontaneously
  generating.
• He also recognized that heating or cooking
  substances for longer periods of time was better
  to kill microorganisms.

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Nicolas Appert

• During the late 18th century, there was a great
  demand for better preservation methods for naval
  expeditions.
• Scurvy was a prominent disease.
• Appert not a trained scientist.
• Appert designed a method to heat and seal foods
  for bottling and canning.
• Worked on his process for years before opening a
  factory in 1795.

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Apperts process

• Steps
• Cook (boil) the food.
• Bottle food in appropriate vessel.
• Cork vessel.
• Water-bath to boil vessel with product.
• Remove product after set period of time and let
  cool.

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Apperts process

• Recognized excluding air was critical.
• Created strong corks that supported inside and
  outside of bottle.
• Created a glue out of isinglass to join pieces of
  cork together, creating large and strong corks to
  withstand heat and pressure.
• Created a luting of quick lime and water. Smeared
  on top of corks to prevent air from entering the
  bottles.
• Only used glass bottles with wide necks to permit
  many foods.
• Bottles had rims or rings so lids could be placed
  on top.
• Stand up bottles for easy storage and packaging.

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Apperts process

• Preserved many foods
• Meats
• Gravies
• Fish
• Vegetables peas, onions, asparagus, spinach,
  etc.
• Fruits currants, cherries, nectarines, etc.
• Milk, eggs, cream

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Apperts process

• After 7 years of factory work, Appert sent out
  samples of his products for the navy.
• Received great success.
• In each bottle and at little cost is a glorious
  sweetness that recalls the month of May in the
  heart of winter.
• Grimond de la Reynière (Thorne, 1986, pg. 30)
• Published book detailing process for domestic and
  commercial use.

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Louis Pasteur

• Did not believe in spontaneous generation.
• Believed that particles in the air cause
  contamination.
• Developed a swan-neck flask to exclude air.
• After boiling yeast soups in these flasks, he
  observed no contaminants.
• Baffled naturalists and chemists of the time who
  believed in spontaneous generation.

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Pasteur

• Later worked with yeasts and diseases in wines.
• Believed that heating wines after fermentation
  processes were completed would kill microbes.
• Heating the wines quickly to 130F displayed no
  microbes or unpleasant flavors.
• This process is now known as pasteurization.
• Success and immediately used in the food
  industry.
• Used in beer, milk, wine and vinegar making.
• Helped set precautions to avoid spoilage of food
  products.
• Opened the door for microbial research,
  especially in the food industry.

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Canning

• Canning gained popularity after the Civil War.
• English immigrant, William Underwood, introduced
  canning to America.
• John L. Mason invented his famous canning jar in
  1858.
• Metal cap and rubber gasket to create a seal.
• Mass productions were available for home and
  commercial use.
• Revolutionized the way people all over the world
  ate.
• United States consume more than 200 million cans
  of food and drink each day!

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Clarence Birdseye

• Discovered at home in Canada, foods left in the
  ice had better flavors than others.
• Experimented with different foods and freezing
  times.
• Quickly freezing foods helped retain flavor and
  quality.
• Developed a method to freeze
• Metal plates soaked in calcium chloride brine and
  chilled. Food packed between the plates.
• Method patented in 1928.
• Used commercially with fish and meats.

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Birdseye

• 1930- first Birdseye freezer introduced in
  Massachusetts.
• Birdseye developed many different freezers for
  domestic and commercial use.

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Preservation Today

• Freeze-drying used for military and space
  expeditions.
• Foods subjected to high pressures
• Expensive but highly effective.
• Radiation used frequently
• HTST High Temperature Short Time processing.

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Preservation Today

• New food borne pathogens being discovered.
• Greater need for safer home and commercial
  preservation methods.
• Clostridium botulinum most famous
  microorganism in food industry.
• Listeria monocytogenes recent pathogen

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Preservation Today

• Many domestic processes
• Canning
• Freezing
• blanching
• Preserving with sugars
• Jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, butters
• Oven or sun drying

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Conclusions

• Before 18th and 19th Centuries long term
  preservation was non-existent or unsuccessful.
• Traveling, expeditions, and foods were limited by
  the scientific knowledge and processes.
• After 18th and 19th Centuries preservation
  methods improved.
• Nutritional diseases declined.
• Foods can be supplied all over.
• Traveling easier and more applicable.
• Less deterioration or spoilage of foods.
• Methods continuously being re-evaluated for safe
  consumption.