Process of Preserving Organic Substances.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification loft 27th lunn 1000
Asseated
07h 1~
4000
Process of Preserving Organic Substances.
We, HENRI AUGUSTE LACROIX, Gentleman, and ALFRED CARLES DE CAUDEMBERG,
Doctor, both of 21, Boulevard Poissonnière Paris, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for object the preservation for a more or less indefinite
period, of organic substances, bodies or compounds such as meat, skins, fats, fish,
game, eggs etc. without lessening their nutritive properties and without altering
their comestible qualities.
It is based on the property which most plants possess under certain conditions,
of rendering the organic tissues refractory to all agents or germs of decomposition.
This property is gained by simply soaking the plants in water at ordinary tempera-
tures. It may be due to a special principle of a chemical order and inherent in
plants or, as would appear more probable, to certain bacteria common to plants
such as the bacillus subtilis the evolution of which in the soaking would create
in the organic bodies which are thereby penetrated, a ground unfit for the
development of the fermentations of putrefaction or decomposition; it confers on
the organic compounds immerged during a time hereafter mentioned, a condition
perfect for preservation.
A certain quantity of nitre is, besides, necessary for the re-action. This salt
has the property of preserving in meat its firmness and natural colour and
neutralises the solution.
As stated above, most plants can be used, to different degrees, for this pre-
serving process; but in practice a large number must be rejected, some being not
sufficiently powerful, others containing essential or resinous oils unsuitable for
eatables, and others, also, containing medicinal or even harmful properties.
After numerous experiments we have been able to ascertain that the plants
giving the best results are, in order of merit,
(1) Hay in a dry state.
(2) The leaf of the poplar, (Populus Alba), Lombardy poplar, freshly
gathered
The simplest method of making the solution of the active principle is by
soaking or mashing in cold water. The proportions are about 2 kilos. of the plant
to 100 litres of water.
It is sufficient to immerse the substances to be preserved, in this bath, to which
is added a certain proportion of nitre 1.500 gr. about to 100 litres. The lengthi
of the bath or soaking is between 8 or 10 hours, and the temperature of the bath
should remain constant.
Care must be taken that the animals, whose flesh is to be preserved, have not
been inflated for the removal of the skin. This precaution is always fruitless
for skins and fats. Meat ought to be put in the bath 1 to 3 hours after death.
After withdrawal from the bath, the organic substances should be suspended
n a current of air to be dried. During this stage it is important to shelter them
TD 017
The simplest method of making the solution of the active principle is by
soaking or mashing in cold water. The proportions are about 2 kilos. of the plant
to 100 litres of water.
It is sufficient to immerse the substances to be preserved, in this bath, to which
is added a certain proportion of nitre 1.500 gr. about to 100 litres. The length
of the bath or soaking is between 8 or 10 hours, and the temperature of the bath
should remain constant.
Care must be taken that the animals, whose flesh is to be preserved, have not
been inflated for the removal of the skin. This precaution is always fruitless
for skins and fats. Meat ought to be put in the bath 1 to 3 hours after death.
After withdrawal from the bath, the organic substances should be suspended
in a current of air to be dried. During this stage it is important to shelter them

page_text: from insects. Drying should take place in air as free from moisture as possible
and where practicable, in the sun. Duration of the drying process varies from 5
to 10 days for meat; it can be reduced to 48 hours when stoves and ventilators
are used.
For skins and fats the term is less than half the above.
Once dried the preservation of the organic substances so treated is indefinite.
The reduction in weight is about one-third, due to evaporation of the mother-
water or natural water. To cause the substance so treated to return to the fresh
state, it is sufficient to return to them their mother-water by plunging them in
water for a space of time varying from 8 to 9 hours. This process applicable
to the preservation of all organic substances, can also be applied to the preserva-
tion of corpses, anatomical parts etc. etc.
IIOCESS of Freserving Organic Substances.
We, HENRI AUGUSTE LACROIX, Gentleman, and ALFRED CARLES DE CAUDEMBERG,
Doctor, both of 21, Boulevard Poissonniere, Paris, in the Republic of France, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the preservation of meats, fats, skins, fish, game,
eggs and other organic substances, by a vegetable process.
The invention has for object the preservation for a more or less indefinite
period of organic bodies, compounds or other substances, such as meats, fish,
game and the like, without lessening their nutritive property and without altering
their comestible quality.
It is based on the fact discovered by us that most plants contain to a greater or
less extent, a special principle, which, used under certain conditions, imparts to
the organic tissues and organic compounds the property or quality of resistance
to all agents or germs of decomposition.
This principle is inherent in plants (the green portion) and common to all in
the same degree as cellulose and chlorophyll, but is, however, independent of
every essential or aromatic quality.
The antiseptic properties of the essences and aromatics have been known for a
long time and have formed the base of several preserving processes:
On the other hand the plants which have been discovered by us as giving the
best preservation results, not only contain neither essences nor aromatics but
are even selected in bacteriology as furnishing the best vegetable culture-broths,
that is to say they are not antiseptic.
We are,
therefore, compelled to admit that the substance which determines the
preservation is not chemical but organized and that it is due to one of the bacterial
species (bacillus subtilis) so common in vegetable matter the evolution of which
during the mashing period renders the tissues unsuited to a new fermentation.
However this may be, organic matters brought into contact for a given time
with this principle in solution acquire for an illimitable period a perfect state
of preservation.

page_text: Experiments have shewn us that they are perfect from a comestible point of
view and absolutely wholesome or healthy from a hygienic point of view.
PRACTICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS.
As we have already said, most plants can be, in principle used for this
process of preservation.
But in practice a large number of them must be rejected some not being
sufficiently powerful, others containing essential or resinous oils which would alter
or modify the taste of the products, and others also, since they contain medicinal
or even harmful properties.
After numerous experiments we have been able to ascertain that the plants
giving the best results, are, in order of merit,
Hay in a dry state.
Leaf of the poplar, (Populus Alba), Lombardy poplar freshly
gathered.
The simplest method of making the solution of the active principle is by
soaking or mashing in cold water. The proportions are about 3 kilos of the
plant to 100 litres of water.
It is sufficient to immerse the substance to be preserved, in this bath, to which
latter is added a small proportion of nitre which may vary from 1 to 5% of
the quantity of water employed; nitre having the property of preserving to
and in the tissues their natural colour and firmness.
The length of the bath or soaking varies from 8 to 9 hours. The temperature
of the bath should remain or be kept constant.
Care must be taken that the animals whose flesh is to be preserved, have not
been inflated for the removal of the skin. This precaution is, however, useless
for skins and fats.
Meat ought to be put in the bath from 1 to 3 hours after death.
After withdrawal from the bath, the organic substances should be suspended in
a current of air to be dried. During this stage it is important to shelter them
from insects.
Drying should take place in air as free from moisture as possible and where
practicable, in the sun.
Duration of the drying process varies from 5 to 10 days for meat; it can be
reduced to 48 hours by means of special drying apparatus or drying rooms.
For skins and fats the term of the drying is less than half the above.
Once dried the organic substances so treated are preserved for an indefinite
period.
The reduction by weight is about one-third, due to evaporation of the mother-
water or natural water.
To cause the substances so treated and preserved to return to the fresh state,
it is sufficient to return to them their mother-water by plunging them in water
for a space of time varying from 8 to 9 hours. They then assume nearly their
original weight.
This process, which is applicable to the preservation of all organic substances,
can be used for the preservation of corpses, anatomical parts etc. etc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A process of preserving organic substances, characterised essentially by the
employment of the active vegetable principle of plants, as described.
2. A process of preserving organic substances, characterised by plunging them
in a bath formed by mashing hay or poplar leaves in cold water, with the addition
of nitre, substantially as described.
3. A process of preserving organic substances consisting of the plunging of
said substances in a bath composed of mashed plants soaked in water, drying

page_text: said substances in drying rooms or in a current of air the substances being
restored to their original or fresh condition by immersion in water whereby their
mother-water is returned to them, substantially as described.
Date : 07h
T
1000