IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING MEAT AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR FOOD
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Wilson Fox at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th November
1865.
I, WILSON Fox, of Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square, in the County of
Middlesex, M.D., do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING MEAT AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR FOOD," to be as
follows:-
Whereas the preservation of provisions in a fresh state in closed cases has
hitherto been chiefly by means of gases or vapours, by methods involving
either the direct expulsion of the atmospheric air by the gases or vapours so
employed, or the formation of a vacuum in the cases used (by means either
of pumps, the condensation of steam, or otherwise) and by the introduction
into the cases of gases or vapours which either exclude the action of the atmo-
sphere or possess antiseptic properties; or, by the direct introduction into the
cases of gases or vapours of such a nature that they form combinations with
the oxygen of the atmosphere which either remain in the case or are removed
by some of the means of exhaustion or expulsion, and then have their places
supplied by other gases or vapours of an inert or antiseptic character. Now
according to my Invention 1 remove the oxygen of the atmosphere from the
cases containing the meat or other provisions by placing them within an
Price d
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page_text: enclosed chamber, between which and the interior of the case containing the
matter to be preserved there is a free communication; or by placing the
interior of the case in communication with a separate enclosed chamber.
Into the outer or separate chamber I introduce substances having a direct
affinity for oxygen, and capable of rapidly withdrawing it from the atmospheric
air, so that by their influence the oxygen contained both in the case enclosing
the meat and in the chamber is completely or for the most part absorbed ;
various substances may be thus employed for combining with the oxygen of
the atmospheric air.
The means I prefer to employ in order to effect the objects above mentioned
consist in the introduction of binoxide of nitrogen into the enclosed chamber
with which the case containing the meat communicates, having previously
placed in such chamber water or other substance capable of absorbing nitrous
acid and nitric oxide gases, but not capable of absorbing binoxide of nitrogen.
The effect of this arrangement will be that the binoxide of nitrogen will
immediately on its introduction combine with the oxygen of the atmospheric
air contained in the chamber and in the case, and will form nitrous acid and
peroxide of nitrogen, which will be speedily dissolved by the water; thus a
partial vacuum results, notwithstanding the pressure of the residual gases
of the atmospheric air which will admit of a fresh supply of binoxide of nitrogen,
carbonic acid, sulphurous acid gas, or other gas or vapour, which may exclude
the influence of the atmospheric air or have an antisepticinfluence on the meat.
After the introduction of the gas or vapour the case containing the meat is to
be hermetically closed.
The process above explained may in some cases be aided by partially
exhausting the atmospheric air from the cases containing the meat or
matters to be preserved, as well as from the chamber with which the case
communicates.