Preservation of Organic Substances.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
Preservation of Organic Substances.
I, DR. FRIEDRICH WILHELM HERRMANN GRAEFF, of No. 5, Leydel Strasse, Berlin, in
the German Empire, Chemist, 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 :-
The process hitherto in use for protecting animal or vegetable substances against
decomposition, fermentation, putrefaction, or destruction rests essentially upon the
application of cold, of high temperatures, of drying, of absence of air, or of the use of
antiseptics. The last method especially has been hitherto usually employed in order to
check the organisms causing fermentation or putrefaction in their action. Experiment
has proved that bacteria only develop in air or in the presence of water or when both
these elements are present, and that their decomposing activity is interrupted when
an alteration takes place in the conditions of their life. The removal of water effects
In other cases it causes only a
in many cases the complete destruction of bacteria.
stoppage or suspension of their power of life and activity; obviously the substances
or bodies which serve as nutriment for the bacteria suffer herewith considerable
alterations in form and outer appearance. The removal of air which is, so to
speak, suffocation, has, generally speaking, not reliable deadly effect upon bacteria
which are very small organisins; on the contrary the oxygen required for ordinary
breathing with lungs etc. is for many bacteria a preventative of vegetation and others
again remove or liberate oxygen. The removal of air as a method for killing bacteria
has in such cases where it can be applied with success either no effect or a very small
one upon the substances about to be considered. The effect of this latter process is
quite different and attains superiority above all other methods if after the removal of
the air, that is after the driving out of the air by any means, some indifferent medium,
such as for instance, hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, or preferably carbonic acid gas be
supplied. The superiority of this process consists essentially in that the substances or
bodies to be preserved are kept unaltered in their original freshness and appearance.
This impregnation with neutral or with antiseptically acting gases as above set forth
or with vapours such as formalin after the previous removal of the air for the purpose
of preserving animal or vegetable bodies, substances or products forms the object of
this process, the application of which in reference to foods of all kinds both solid and
liquid is of the widest possible importance, and also offers special advantages in very
various industries and handicrafts, as for instance, in connection with butchers' meat,
hides, skins, offal, zoological and botanical preparations, lymphs, bacteria cultures,
fruits, flowers, vegetables and so forth. It is specially applicable also in the preparation
of effervescing drinks by impregnating with carbonic acid after previous removal
of air.
The operation is as follows:-If it be desired to keep an animal or vegetable
substance which is of a perishable nature in a fresh state for a prolonged period, such
a substance, as for instance fresh meat, then the same is brought into an airtight
vessel, the air is then removed more or less completely and the substance then
impregnated with an indifferent gas, preferably carbonic acid gas, and the vessel thus
tightly closed with occasional examination of its airtightness is preserved to the

page_text: moment when it is required for use. The removal of the air can be effected either by
pumping it out or by driving it out. The degree of impregnation can be effected
under pressure as high as is desirable, for instance, from a fourth of an atmosphere
up to a high pressure. Upon the opening of the vessel after diminishing the
pressure by means of a valve the carbonic acid gas escapes, and the meat can be inade
use of in spite of the remaining traces of carbonic acid either at once or after it has
laid a certain time in the air. According to the experiments which have been made
the duration of the preservation depends upon the perfection of the carrying out of
the process, and also upon the airtightness of the vessel employed, and is unlimited
in its possible duration. The flesh of various animals, poultry, and so forth is long
preserved in a perfectly fresh and inoffensive condition, and even becomes better
flavoured and more tender. In like manner but preferably with the use of a stirring
apparatus liquids may be preserved. In connection with this special attention has
been given to the production of effervescing liquids in general, and especially
the preparation of such with milk, cream, butter milk, whey and the like. The
artificial seltzer water, soda water, and so forth which have hitherto only been
prepared by charging them with carbonic acid without previously withdrawing the
air have the drawback that when a bottle is opened a portion of the contents is
thrown out. This is entirely avoided in the new process. The application
thereof for the preparation of effervescing beverages will be illustrated as follows
as applied to milk.
The milk is taken either as new milk or as skimmed milk, and either pure or with
the addition of medicinal substances or of substances influencing the taste, and either
in the fresh state, or also pasteurised or sterilised and placed in an apparatus
which may be constructed similar to those used for the preparation of artificial mineral
waters. If pasteurised or sterilised milk be used the pasteurisation or sterilisation
can be effected at the same time in the same apparatus by suitable arrangements such
as the surrounding thereof with a steam jacket or the introduction of a steam coil to
be used for the cooling of the milk afterwards. After the vessel has been filled, and
preferably during continuous stirring of the contents by means of a suitable apparatus,
the air is removed, and the milk is then impregnated with carbonic acid until it
reaches the required degree of saturation, for instance, a pressure of about two
atmospheres is attained. The impregnated milk can then be filled into bottles, jugs,
siphons, or other vessels under carbonic acid pressure in which vessels also the air
may be replaced before the filling by means of carbonic acid. Instead of the vessels
above named the milk might also be filled into casks, or be treated in the abovementioned
manner direct, and it may be again drawn off from these, or may be caused to flow out
by means of pressure with carbonic acid in a manner similar to that employed with
pressure beer apparatuses. Cream or butter milk and the like may be treated in the
same manner as milk. Whey can be used either in the form that it is obtained,
sweet, or sour, or it may be warmed to température above 70 degrees Centigrade in
order to cause the albumen to solidify, this can then be drawn off and the remaining
fluid, with or without the addition of flavour or medicine in the sweet or sour state,
in which latter case the acidity may be caused by the use of bacteria cultures, is
impregnated with carbonic acid. The milk thus treated is permanently unalterable,
and forms a refreshing well flavoured effervescing beverage. If it be desired to
reconvert this beverage, or that formed from cream, butter milk, or so forth, into its
original condition it is only necessary to drive off the carbonic acid which is most
simply attained by heating or boiling.
n..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what' I
claim'is:-
1. The preservation of vegetable and animal substances, bodies, products, or
mixtures thereof liable to fermentation or decomposition, and solid or liquid, con-
sisting in the pumping out or drawing forth of the atmospheric air, and in the
subsequent impregnating with an inert gas or vapour at any desired pressure or
i

page_text: without the same, and the preservation thereof in the new atmosphere thus formed
in airtight vessels.
2. The preservation of vegetable or animal substances, bodies, products, or mixtures
thereof subject to decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction, whether solid or liquid,
consisting in the driving out of the atmospheric air by means of an introduced
current of an inert gas or vapour and the preservation thereof in the new atmosphere
thus formed in an airtight vessel..
3. The preservation of vegetable and animal substances, bodies, products, or
mixtures thereof, subject to decomposition, fermentation, or putrefaction, whether
solid or liquid, consisting in the impregnating thereof with an inert gas or vapour,
and the preservation thereof in the new atmosphere thus formed in an airtight
vessel.
4. The preservation of vegetable and animal substances, bodies, products, or
mixtures thereof, subject to decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction, whether
solid or liquid, consisting in the impregnation with gases or vapours by previously
either withdrawing air therefrom or passing through or pumping in the said gases
and the like under pressure.
5. The preservation of vegetable or animal substances, bodies, products, or
mixtures thereof, subject to decomposition, fermentation, or putrefaction whether
solid or liquid, consisting in the impregnating thereof at a temperature raised to a
given point with gases or vapours, or by previously removing the air therefrom or
passing through or pumping in the said gases and the like under pressure.
6. The preservation of articles of food or of consumption. whether solid or liquid,
in a raw or prepared state, such as butchers' meat, fish, poultry, vegetables; fluids,
flowers, confectionery, or the like, consisting in the pumping or drawing out of the
air and in the impregnation with carbonic acid at a desired degree of pressure or
without such, and preservation of the said articles in the atmosphere of carbonic acid
thus produced.
7. The preservation of articles of food or consumption whether solid or liquid,
and whether raw or already prepared such as butchers' meat, confectionery, poultry,
vegetables, fluids, flowers, consisting in the driving out of the air by means of a
current of carbonic acid passed through, and the preservation thereof under carbonic
acid pressure.
8. The preservation of articles of food or of consumption, whether solid or liquid,
raw or already prepared such as butchers' meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fluids,
flowers, confectionery, consisting in the preservation thereof in an atmosphere of
carbonic acid under a desired degree of pressure.
9. The preparation of effervescing beverages consisting in the pumping out or with-
drawal of the atmospheric air, and the subsequent impregnation thereof with carbonic
acid under a given pressure.
10. The preparation of effervescing beverages consisting in the removal of the air
by heating, boiling, or passing through of carbonic acid and the subsequent impreg-
nation with carbonic acid.
11. The preparation of effervescing beverages containing other articles which
influence the flavour or possess the medicinal effect consisting in the removal of air
and subsequent impregnation with carbonic acid.
12. The impregnation of cream, milk, butter milk, or mixtures containing the same
with carbonic acid after previous removal of the air for the purpose of preserving
them or for the production of effervescing beverages.
13. The impregnation of whey with carbonic acid after previous removal of the air
for the purpose of preserving it, or for the purpose of producing an effervescing
beverage.
14. The preparation of an effervescing beverage from whey in which the albumen
has been caused to coagulate by heating of the same separated by filtering and the
remaining fluid impregnated with carbonic acid.
15. The impregnation of cream, milk, butter milk, or of fluids which contain
materials which influence the flavour or have a medicinal effect with carbonic acid

page_text: after previous removal of the air for their preservation, or for the preparation of
effervescing fluids.
16. The impregnation of whey which contains other substances with carbonic acid
after the previous removal of the air for the purpose of preserving it, or for the
purpose of the production of effervescing beverages.
17. The obtaining of the original products such as milk, cream, butter milk, or
whey from substances charged with carbonic acid according to the above process by
the drawing off of the carbonic acid absorbed.
18. The preservation of corpses, anatomical, medicinal, zoological, or botanical
preparations, the preservation of vegetables and animal substances, fluids, products,
or mixtures thereof liable to decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction, consisting
in the pumping out or the withdrawal of the atmospheric air with subsequent im-
pregnation of the substances under any desired degree of pressure or without the
same with an inert gas or vapour and the preservation in the atmosphere thus formed
in an airtight vessel.
19. The carrying out of the process with the application of gases or vapours of an
inert nature or mixtures thereof for the purpose of obtaining the disinfectant action.
1
2
hon 1907
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.