Food Manufacture

Chronology

Introduction

After they leave the farm, ranch, or boat, food, such as poultry, cattle, fish, shellfish, grains, vegetables, fruits, and milk are processed into other forms called "processed foods".

Food additives are chemicals that enhance the flavor, appearance, processing, and preservation of foods.   They are acidulants, alkalizers, anticaking agents, antimicrobial agents, antioxdidants, bleaching agents, bodying and bulking agents, buffers, carriers, clarifying agents, coating agents, colorants, enzyme preparations, firming agents, flavorings, flavor enhancers, humectants and moisture-retaining agents, leavening agents, masticatory substances, oxidizing agents, pectins, polymeric food additives, salt, and sweeteners. ^{Considine 41}

Canning ("packing") is the processing of food that is then sealed in air-tight containers.   ("Can" and "canning" are derived from the word "canister".)   Microorganisms - bacteria, bacterial spores, yeasts, and molds - that are present in the food, air, water, and soil, are killed by heating the foods to gradually higher temperatures, from 180°F to around 240°F.   Bottle, can and plastic containers are cleaned at high temperatures and evacuated of most of the air, which is also heated to remove microoranisms, a process called deaeration. ^{How 422}   Canning removes the household drudgery of preparing food from fresh meats, fruits and vegetables and allows the homemaker, often the wife, to engage in other productive pursuits, thus improving overall productivity.

To 1790

1790

Nicolas Appert, a French chef, introduced glass jar food preservation into France in 1795 in response to a prize of 12,000 francs offered by Napoleon for a way to prevent military food supplies from spoiling.   Appert canned meats and vegetables in jars sealed with pitch and was awarded the prize in 1804.   Glass was chosen because it was impermeable to air.   It was a French military secret, but the method soon leaked across the English Channel and from there into other countries to begin the processed foods industry. ^{Monte n.p.}   At the time, no one knew why the foods were preserved until 50 years later when Pasteur showed the connection between microorganisms and spoilage.

1800

By 1804, Nicolas Appert opened his first vacuum-packing plant, the "House of Appert".   He canned in jars all kinds of meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk, cream, and whey. ^{Sim 13}

1810

In 1808, Sir hUmphrey Davy, an English chemist, discovered that adding calcium chloride to boiling water increased its temperature to 240°, which would be of value to canners in later years to improve sterilization. ^{Sim 14}

In 1810, Peter Durand, an Englishman, patented tin can food preservation.   He introduced the method into the U.S. in 1818.   Tin cans (actually, steel coated with tin to prevent rusting) are more durable, i.e., less breakable, than bottles for shipping in large containers.   Since can manufacture was done with hand tools, 60 cans a day could be made, at most. ^{Sim 14}

In 1819, Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett started canning fish and oysters in New York City. ^{Sim 15}

1820

In 1820, William Underwood opened a canning plant in Boston.   By 1821 he was shipping in glass cans to South America plums, quinces, currants, barberries, cranberries, pickles, ketchup, sauces, jellies, and jams. ^{Sim 14}

In 1825, Thomas Kensett applied for a U.S. patent for tin-plated cans.   However, it was not granted until 1864. ^{Sim 15}

1830

Prior to 1831, cheese was made at home.   However, in this year, the first cheese factory was opened in Koshkonong, WI. ^{How 665}

1840

1850

In 1851, Gail Borden invented the one-pound meat biscuit that contained the nutrition of 5-pounds of meat and 10 ounces of flour. ^{Carruth 253}

In 1852, Raymond Chevallier-Appert, son of Nicholas Appert, obtained a patent for the "auto-clave", a steam pressure cooker equipped with a special manometer capable of measuring temperature to 1/2 degree. ^{Sim 16}

In 1853, Gail Borden devised a process for making evaporated milk in a vacuum.   He was awarded a patent in 1856 for this milk-condensing process and began production in 1858.   The idea was to provide milk for the poor, with little production until the U.S. government bought considerable quantities for soldiers during the Civil war. ^{Carruth 245,253}

1860

Butter factories were opened in the U.S. in the 1860s.   Prior to this time, butter was made only at home. ^{How 665}

In 1860, Louis Pasteur, a French scientist, made public his experiments on pasterization and sterilization that proved that many microorganisms caused spoiling and could be killed by heat.   This discovery ended the guesswork in the canning industry. ^{Sim 17}

In 1861, Isaac Solomon of Baltimore used the 1808 discovery of Sir Humphrey' Davy by adding calcium chloride to boiling water elevated its temperature from the normal 212°F to 240°F, which sterilized cans more thoroughly for food canning, thus reducing spoilage and fuel and reducing the sterilization time from 5 to 6 hours to 25 to 40 minutes. ^{Sim 17}

In 1864, a salmon cannery was built by William, John, and George Hume, and Andrew S. Hapgood on the Sacramento R. in Washington, CA.   It was unsucessful, but the one built the next year at Eagle Fish, WA, succeeded and was followed by many more salmon canneries in the Northwest. ^{Carruth 285}

In 1869, Henry J. Heinz and L. C. Noble established a food-packing company in Sharpsburg, PA.   Its first product was grated horseradish. ^{Carruth 301}

1870

In 1874, Mark O. and Andrew Keyser Shriver developed a kettle ^{Burton 27} with a lid that could be securely fastened to make the inside airtight.   A steam supply pipe was fastened to the bottom allowed steam inside the kettle to sterilize the cans loaded inside the kettle on a perforated bottom.   A steam gauge adjusted amount of steam allowed inside and a thermometer indicated the temperature of the cans.   In principle, this was similar to the home pressure cooker.   This invention eliminated the use of calcium chloride to raise temperatures and reduced spoilage and cooking time. ^{Burton 26}

1880

In 1880, a Mr. Merriam invented a "joker" machine for soldering tin cans.   It replace the hand-soldering iron. ^{Sim 18}

By 1880, Baltimore, MD, is the canning capital of the world, a position held until 1900. ^{Burton 25}

In 1882, William Horlick or Racine, WI, produced the first malted milk.   He combined milk, wheat extract and barley malt and evaporated the mixture to a powder.   He began commercial production in 1883 as a supplemental food for children and invalids, but it became popular with the general public. ^{Carruth 333}

In 1884, John Stevens of Woodstown, NJ, was awarded a patent for the Stevens filler, a can-filling machine. ^{Sim 18}

In 1885, the Smith & Wicks Company of Baltimore installed their first can-making machine. ^{Sim 18}

1890

In 1890, Mas Ams of the Max Ams Machine Company in New York City, was the first to use the European inside can lacquered coating for fish products.   Later, it would be extended to other products.   The lacquer keeps the color of fruits and vegetables. ^{Sim 19,24}

By 1895, milk pasteurization, a mild heating that destroyed bacteria, was introduced. ^{How 665}

1900

By 1900, the "sanitary", or double-seamed, can was borrowed from Europeans and came into use in the U.S.   It was made with seams and was not soldered.   It was sealed with a rubber coating.

1910

1920

1930

In 1933, Charles F. Seabrook of Bridgeton, NJ, began to package and sell frozen vegetables ^{Cunningham 59}

1940

1950

1960

1970

In 1971, Japanese scientists produced a cheaper sweetener made from corn that was six times sweeter than sugar.   They called it high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).   This sweetener costs less than sugar, prevents products from freezer burn, keeps long shelf-life products (e.g., those in vending machines) tasting fresh, and makes bakery products, many of which contain no sugar, look more natural and fresh.   NFCS was brought to market in the late 1970s.   Thereafter, many convenience food and beverage prices fell by as much as 20% as HFCS replaced the more expensive sweetener, sugar. ^{Critser 10}

In the mid-1970s, palm oil was made into a stable fat.   It eventually replaced animal fat to give foods a much longer shelf life. ^{Critser 14}

1980

1990

2000