Improvements in Means for Preserving Meat and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preserving Meat and the like.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Henry Salzer of 1623 John Street
Baltimore Maryland in the United States of America Doctor of Medicine) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My foreign correspondent has already invented a process of preserving meats or
other food articles by enclosing them in a shell composed of plaster of paris, or
similar material, sterilizing it, and closing the pores by a fatty or plastic substance
in such manner as to exclude atmospheric influences as well as all organic germs
liable to cause decomposition or decay.
In practically carrying out this process difficulty has been experienced in pro-
ducing packages of uniform size and saleable appearance, and in manipulating the
meat in the successive steps of the process following the first steaming operation,
and in the production of a package from which the meat or other article could be
obtained free from all foreign substances, and from all acquired flavor.
These difficulties are now according to this present invention overcome by the
following procedure:-I will presume, for the simplification of description that it
is meat that is to be preserved.
The meat is first steamed for a sufficient time to reduce its bulk. In this step
instead of steaming in an open vessel with low temperature steam, dry steam is used
in a close vessel, the effect of which is to form a film of co-agulated albumen,
preventing the escape of juices. The meat is then allowed to stand until perfectly
cold. It is next subjected to strong compression in moulds for a sufficient period
usually about six hours. It has been shewn by past experience of meat packers,
that meat compressed after cooking will not retain its shape or hold together. It
is the practice therefore to force the meat into cans or other receptacles under
pressure. In carrying out the process according to this invention it is essential
first that the meat should be pressed cold, and second that it should remain in the
mould for a long period of time. When this is done a solid and coherent piece of
the desired shape is obtained which does not disintegrate, swell or change its form
while the plaster shell is drying and hardening around it.
The meat thus treated is next wrapped in a suitable material such as paper and
enclosed in a tightly fitting jacket of fabric impregnated and coated with plaster of
paris. When this plaster has dried and hardened the coated article is put into a
can and the space between the package and can is filled with the grease (suct lard
or tallow) of the meat itself, which grease has been melted and strained and in that
state is thoroughly sterilized before the can is finally sealed. It is the common
custom in packing meat to fill the vacant spaces of the can with the animal fat and
apply heat before sealing; but on cooling there is a great contraction of the grease
so that about one third of the piece of meat projects above the level to which the
grease settles.
By the process according to this invention the plaster shell
absorbs so much fat that the meat is wholly enveloped therein and this continuous
coating of fat has a remarkable effect in preserving the delicacy and flavour of
the meat.
By this improvement the operation is much facilitated, the bulk of the article is
reduced, cracks or breaks in the continuity of the plaster shell are avoided, material
is saved, and the production of packages of uniform size and appearance, enclosed
in a tightly fitting envelope is insured.
It is in many cases desirable to avoid the expense of cans and to do this without

page_text: endangering the absolute preservation of the meat is a further object of the present
invention.
To accomplish this a pliable wrap of metal foil is used instead of a can but it is
found that if the package be prepared as hereinbefore described and be wrapped in
tin foil the package will often be defective. This is due to the fact that in heating
in the metal foil the hot particles of fat will produce microscopic holes through the
pores. This difficulty is completely obviated by applying an absorbent wrap
around the hot grease-saturated shell of fabric and plaster. In carrying out this
part of the invention the meat is subjected to a preliminary steaming, pressed, and
is enveloped in its wrap of plaster of paris spread upon a suitable fabric. When
this is dried it is then thoroughly sterilized by immersing for a sufficient length of
time the package in fat of the same meat, heated to the proper temperature.
During this operation the fat penetrates through the plaster shell; surrounding the
enclosed piece of meat, and occupies all the pores and spaces of the package. So
far the process is the same as hereinbefore described. The package is now taken
from the sterilizing bath and immediately and while still hot and inaccessible to
living germs it is coated with an absorbent material, for which purpose, another
layer of plaster is found to answer well. The heat of the package dries this coating
almost instantly. The outside wrap is subjected to a final sterilization for a short
period of time. During this last step of the process the coating of plaster or like
material absorbs the melted grease from the inner shell, and prevents any injury to
the outside wrap.
In carrying out the process, I do not limit myself to the use of plaster of paris'
as the absorbent coating, since it is obvious that any material having similar
properties may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.
When as the final step of the process, the package is enclosed in a can, it is
desirable to prevent contact of the package with the interior of the can. It is well
known that meat enclosed in cans undergoes distinct changes, and acquires a foreign
and disagreeable flavor, induced by contact with the metal. The latter is a good
conductor of what may be termed telluric influences, and these changes are believed
to be due, in part at least, to that fact.
To meet this difficulty it has been proposed to enclose the meat in an inner
jacket of glass or other nonconducting material, but this plan is not commercially
useful because of the expense, and the liability of breakage of the fragile envelope.
According to the present invention the inner walls of the can arc provided with
projections or contact pieces of a non-conducting substance, which keeps the metal out
of contact with the meat, or with its wrapper. These contact pieces may be of any
non-conducting substance which is sufficiently cheap for the purpose. I have found
that strips of fabric saturated and coated with plaster and wrapped around a
suitable support, will answer well. These contact or separating pieces may, if
desired, be made detachable from the inner surface of the can in any suitable way.
Having now fully described the nature of the said invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The described process of preserving meat or like articles by steaming or
partially cooking the same, cooling, compressing while cold for a sufficient space
of time as specified to produce a coherent mass, and then applying a plastic
envelope or shell such as plaster of paris, allowing the same to harden around the
mass substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The described process of preserving meat or like articles by successive steps
of steaming, cooling, compressing while cold, enveloping in a shell of fabric and
plaster of paris or the like, and when the latter has hardened, placing in a can with
the natural fat of the meat surrounding the package, heating and scaling the can
substantially as herein before set forth.
3. The improvement in the art of preserving meat or like articles which consists
in surrounding it with a wrapper, of plaster of paris or the like sterilizing it in
melted animal fat, then applying a coating of absorbent material, then a wrap of

page_text: pliable material impermeable to air and water and finally subjecting a second time
to a sterilizing heat substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In the art of preserving meat the improvement consisting in immersing a
piece of meat or the like surrounded by a plaster shell in heated animal fat,
removing it therefrom after thorough sterilization, applying around it while hot an
absorbent coating enclosing in a wrap of metal foil, and finally sterilizing a second
time substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
5. The method of packing meat by sterilizing and surrounding it in a suitable
wrap, and then enclosing it in a can having knobs or contact pieces of a non-con-
ducting substance substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 28th day of June 1892
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.