"APPERTISATION" THE FIRST MODERN METHOD OF FOOD PRESERVATION

APPERT, (NICHOLAS) von.

Die Kunst, alle animalischen und vegetabilischen Substanzen mehrere Jahre zu erhalten. Eine Abhandlung, deren Verfasser, ihrer Gemeinnützigkeit wegen, von der Französischen Regierung mit zwölftausend Franken belohnt worden ist. Aus ddem Französichen. Mit einer Kupfertafel. (The art of conserving over several years all animal and vegetable substances).

Wien, J.B. Degenschen Buchhandlung, 1811.

Small 8vo. Contemp. blue boards., titlelabel with gilt lettering. A small nick to top of spine. 118,(2) pp. and 1 folded engraved plate. A few marginal brownspots, otherwise fine and clean.

First German edition (the original French was published in 1810) of this highly influential book, in which the first modern process of preserving food is presented for the first time, years before Pasteur presents his method of pasteurization.

Appert's method consisted in placing the food to be preserved in bottles closed with the best corks obtainable. The bottles were placed in boiling water for considerable periods. Appert claimed that the most perishable foodstuff could be preserved by this method and his claims were completely substantiated. Gay-Lussac believed that the keeping qualities of Appert's preserves were due to the expulsion of the air during the heating process. In this way fermentation and putrescence was avoided.

"La Maison Appert (English: The House of Appert), in the town of Massy, near Paris, became the first food bottling factory in the world, nearly 100 years before Louis Pasteur proved that heat killed bacteria. Appert patented his invention and established a business to preserve a variety of food in sealed bottles. Appert's method was to fill thick, large-mouthed glass bottles with produce of every description, ranging from beef, fowl, eggs, milk, and prepared dishes (according to sources). His greatest success for publicity was an entire sheep. He left air space at the top of the bottle, and the cork would then be sealed firmly in the jar by using a vise. The bottle was then wrapped in canvas to protect it, while it was dunked into boiling water and then boiled for as much time as Appert deemed appropriate for cooking the contents thoroughly.
In honour of Appert, canning is sometimes called "appertisation", but should be distinguished from pasteurization. Appert's early attempts at food preservation by boiling involved cooking the food to a temperature far in excess of what is used in pasteurization (70 °C (158 °F)), and can destroy some of the flavour of the preserved food." (Wikipedia).

Parkinson "Breakthroughs" 1810 C.

Order-nr.: 45152