History of the canned food
Page
1 | 2
In summary the canning process requires:
* a considerable capital investment
* the need for trained and experienced staff
* regular maintenance of the sophisticated equipment
* a supply of the correct type of can and
* comparatively high operating expenditure.
1802
Nicolas Appert believed that the salt gives a sour taste, the drying hardens and fats deteriorate. Appert, then, put peas or meat sauce in glass jars closed hermeticly, then warmed up in water bath at 100° and made them cool. A year later, the canning man discovered that food was still good. Affected by the invention, the chemist Gay-Lussac noticed the lack of oxygen in the gases contained in the jars. Still he did not know the existence of microorganisms and bacteria and the chemist concluded, wrongly, that the removal of oxygen avoided altering food. The procedure, however, functioned.
1813
Arrive the metal containers.
Preserves conquer the sailors, who can enjoy fresh vegetables at sea. Only one problem: in case of storm, the glass jars would break. So why not store food in metal containers? In 1810, the English Peter Durand patented the idea. In 1813 the company Donkin and Hall began production: a strip of tin, wrapped to form a cylinder, which added to the bottom. Once the container is full, you close with a lid, which is also soldered, before putting it in water bath. The canned food in metal box!
1852
From the water bath to autoclave
Hermetically being closed, the can protects for a long time fruits and vegetables. But his preparation is difficult: we must choose carefully the temperature and duration of cooking. Food must be cooked thoroughly, but not for too long because they can retain flavor, color and nutritional properties. The ideal would be able to heat over 100° for a very short time. Unfortunately, the procedure does not allow water bath. In 1852 Nicholas Chevallier invents the autoclave, a closed container capable of resisting high pressure. Its usefulness? When the pressure increases at constant volume, the boiling temperature of water rises up to 130°, are then sufficient for a few seconds to cook food preserving their freshness.