The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-09
MEAT LIKE BISCUITS
UNDER NEW PROCESS
Columbia Professor Announces
Perfection Of Method Of
Drying.
FRESHNESS IS NOT LOST
Resumes Original Appearance
and Flavor When Water
Is Applied.

DIR. Ralph Fl. Mckee. professor OF
chemical engineering of Columbia
University, announced yesterday that
there has been perfected in the uni
versity's chemical laboratories new
drying process by which meats and
fish can be kept indefinitely and then
may be restored to their former stfte
Of freshness by the simple application
Of water. When cooked. the professor
says, they will have the appearance
and flavor of fresh food. The cost Of
the process Is declared to be not more
than for cold storage.
BY means OF the new process. II Is
said, II would be possible to increase
the worlds meat shipping capacity
more than twelve times because of the
space that can be saved and the elm
nation of refrigeration and special
containers.
The new process is covered by pat
ents, but no effort has been made as
yet to employ it commercially.
1t is predicted by the professors Of
Columbia that when the new process
comes into general use dried meats
will be marketed the same as crackers.
The housewife then can always have
O supply OF steaks" stew beef" &c.
en- her kitchen shelves for any
emergency.
The research work was begun at the
Hartman Laboratories at Roosevelt
Hospital under DR.. X. G. Falk and DR..
E. NJ. F'rankel more than a year ago
and later was transferred to Columbia,
where with the cooperation Of DR.. Nc
Kee the tests were brought to perfec-
ton.
A consignment Of 400 pounds of the
dried meat was sent to a Southern
camp a few months ago. Water was
applied and the meat was served to
soldiers. Reports came back that
there wasn't a single man in camp
who had the idea he was eating other
than fresh meat.
All bone, waste fat and connective
tissues are removed from the meat or
fish treated by the new process, leav-
ing a 100 per cent. food. Meat Is cut
into cubes or into steaks" placed in
a vacuum and subjected to a period of
drying at n relatively low temperature.
Fish, It is explained. can be dried com
pletely in from four to eight hours and
meat in ten hours.
For many years attempts have
been been made to dry meat by meth
DDS similar to those used in drying
vegetables" DR.. Mckee said yester-
day. The product obtained, however.
emerged with the protein coagula,cd.
and the result was far from neinr a
palatablc product, but we have row
finally arrived at solution CO the
problem which seems TO meet very
satisfactorily the needs of the case.
THE advantages from tho CONNER
cial side are that this meat. dried ac-
cording to thu new art which has been
developed. can be shipped in ordinary
cloth sacks without refrigeration, salt,
chemicals. smoking or other treat
ment. II is simply and solely dried
meat which regains, when placed in
water, the virtues and character OF the
meat from which it is made. No re-
frigerator ships or cars are necessary.
as II can be kept for months without
any deterioration. In addition TO
meat dried in cubes and steaks. meat
dried and roughly ground can be
mixed with vegetables and cooked,
without any previous soaking. as hash
For a composite ration giving a
mived diet, IT has been found prac-
ticable TO use dry raw meat hashed
with potatoes, onions. carrots and
other vegetables and so prepared as
TO constitute an emergency ration
which is ready to cook at once"