The History of Food Preservation:
How Science in the 18th and 19th
Centuries Changed the Food Industry
Sally Tobler
December 12, 2006
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mesopotamian Preservation
First evidence of ovens.
“tannur” ovens
Beehive shape, stood upright
Made of out clay and gypsum
Withstand temps up to 850°C
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
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.
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 1200-1400°C
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.
Reasons for Better Methods
Britain’s 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.
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.
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.
Appert’s 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.
Appert’s 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.
Appert’s process
Preserved many foods:
Meats
Gravies
Fish
Vegetables – peas, onions,
asparagus, spinach, etc.
Fruits – currants, cherries,
nectarines, etc.
Milk, eggs, cream
Appert’s 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.
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.
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 130°F 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.
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!
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.
Birdseye
1930- first Birdseye
freezer introduced in
Massachusetts.
Birdseye developed
many different freezers
for domestic and
commercial use.
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.
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
Preservation Today
Many domestic processes:
Canning
Freezing
blanching
Preserving with sugars
Jams, jellies, preserves,
marmalades, butters
Oven or sun drying
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.