Improvements in the Preservation of Organic Matters.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left 21st June 1897-Accented 25th Sept.
1807
Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left 21st June 1897-Accepted 25th Sept 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preservation of Organic Matters.
1, JOSEPH JESUS HAZARD, formerly of Guaymas, in the State of Senora Mexico,
brit now of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for object the perservation of organic matters in their
natural state or in such a manner as to keep their structure intact, a result which
has hitherto not been possible in practice. Organic matters can, according to
this invention, be so perfectly preserved as to bear microscopic examination ;
whereas all other known preservative processes, so far as I am aware, produce
changes in the physiological structure of organic matters so great as to be
immediately apparent on such examination.
According thereto, organic matters are placed in a suitable chamber (herein-
after referred to as a pressure-chamber) and there subjected to the action of
chemically dry carbonic acid gas or other suitable antiseptic gas or gaseous
mixture (hereinafter referred to as the gas), the pressure of the gas and the time
during which it is, allowed to act upon the matters varying with their bulk and
physiologica structure, the object being to permeate the matters with the gas.
The pressure-chamber is provided with suitable means for allowing the gas to
drive out all air contained therein and for then closing it hermetically to produce
the necessary pressure-when carbonic acid gas or other gas heavier than air is
used, the chamber may, for this purpose, have an inlet at the bottom and an outlet
at the top, each being provided with a suitable cock or valve. After this treat-
ment, the matters are stored in a hermetically closed chamber (hereinafter
referred to as an evaporating-chamber) whose internal atmosphere, which may be
either the gas or ordinary air, is dried and, it may be, agitated so as to cause it to
evaporate or absorb any moisture that there may be at or near the surface of the
said matters. For this purpose sulphuric acid, chloride of calcium, or some other
suitable chemical or chemicals is or are arranged so as to take up moisture from
the said atmosphere; and the chamber may contain a rotary fan or the like, or a
pump or equivalent may be arranged to draw the atmosphere out of the chamber
and return it thereto. By suitable agitation of the atmosphere, the matters may
in some cases, be completely desiccated in the evaporating-chamber.
In some cases the treatment with the gas under pressure may be omitted, the
matters being simply, stored, and treated as described, in the evaporating-
chamber.
Amongst others, the following organic matters may be preserved by this
process:-
Beef in halves or quarters; whole carcases of mutton and the like; poultry and
small game, such as rabbits and hares, just as killed, without being deprived of
feathers, skin, or internal organs; butter and cheese of all sorts; fruits; furs;
and feathers.
In the case of a whole carcase of mutton it is found sufficient to expose it to the
action of carbonic acid gas at a pressure of 2 or 3 atmospheres for 10 to 20 minutes;
for a quarter or half of beef the pressure may be 4 or 5 atmospheres and the time
20 or 30 minutes.

page_text: Eggs may be preserved in perfect condition, according to this invention, for
any number of years. They may be treated in two different ways, which may be
called trade preparation and pharmaceutical preparation.
In the first case regard must be had to (a) the fact that the alimentary
substances of eggs, being semi-liquids in the raw state and of a very complex
nature, are subject to easy decomposition, the principal factors of which are high
temperature, dampness in the atmosphere, and, sometimes, germs of decomposition
found in their air-chambers; (b) the physical properties of the white and the yolk
and their relative positions in new-laid eggs; (c) the fact that eggs that are not
fresh can easily be recognized by the size of their air-chambers, which increases
in proportion to evaporation, and by the displacement of the yolk.
In trade preparation I prefer to proceed in the following manner:-
The eggs are first packed in suitable receivers in which they are placed upright
or their narrow ends. The receivers are then put into the pressure-chamber and
the gas, which may be at a pressure of 1 atmosphere, penetrates through the
shells, saturates the semi-liquid substances, and neutralizes all germs of decompo-
sition that may accidentally exist therein.
After treatment for a sufficient time in the pressure-chamber, the eggs are
preferably stored in an evaporating chamber.
In order to preserve the natural internal arrangement of the white and the yolk,
the eggs should, whilst being stored, be daily or frequently turned so that what
has previously been their lower part shall be uppermost. For this purpose an
apparatus may be employed adapted to turn a large number of eggs simultaneously.
A suitable apparatus comprises a frame in which are rotatably mounted a number
of box-shaped receptacles provided with hinged doors and adapted to contain the
receivers in which the eggs are packed. A number of such receptacles may be
arranged in lines rigidly connected together; these lincs of receptacles may be
arranged side by side and one above another or in any other convenient manner
and they are connected together by chain or bevel gearing or in some other suitable
way so that by rotating a handle, the whole of the receptacles may be rotated
simultaneously. This apparatus may be adopted for turning eggs not contained
in receivers by substituting for the box-like receptacles suitable holders for holding
the eggs in a suitable manner.
In pharmaceutical preparation, the eggs, after the described treatment by the
gas under pressure, are desiccated in an evaporating chamber as herein before
described, the yolks and the whites being treated separately or together as required
and being placed in wide low receptacles, or on trays, so as to present a large
surface for evaporation. Eggs may in this way be completely desiccated so that
they can afterwards be ground to powder.
In the case of importing meat from abroad, the ordinary ships' refrigerating-
chambers may be utilized as evaporating chambers, chemical drying agents being
employed as hereinbefore set forth, the atmosphere being ordinary air, and the
temperature being kept between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
1
Improvements in the Preservation of Organic Matters.
1, JOSEPH JESUS HAZARD, formerly of Guaymas, in the State of Senora Mexico, 50
but now of 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Engineer, do hereby declare

page_text: 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 has for object the preservation of organic matters in their
natural state or in such a manner as to keep their structure intact, a result which
has hitherto not been possible in practice. Organic matters can, according thereto
be so perfectly preserved as to bear microscopic examination; whereas all other
known preservative processes, so far as I am aware, produce changes in the
physiological structure of organic matters so great as to be immediately apparent
on such examination.
In order that the invention may be properly understood, I shall explain it with
the aid of the accompanying illustrative diagrammatic vertical sections.
According to the invention, organic matters are placed in a suitable chamber
(hereinafter referred to as a pressure-chamber and marked 1 in Fig. 1) and are
there subjected to the action of as nearly as possible chemically dry carbonic acid
gos (hereinafter referred to as the gas), the pressure of the gas and the time
during which it is allowed to act upon the matters varying with their bulk and
physiological structure, the object being to permeate the matters with the gas.
The pressure-chamber is provided with suitable means for allowing the gas to
drive out all air contained therein and for then closing it hermetically to produce
the necessary pressure. Carbonic acid gas being heavier than air, the chamber
may for this purpose, have, as shown, an inlet 2 at the bottom and an outlet 3 at
the top, each being provided with a suitable cock or valve 4. The matters should,
of course, be arranged in the pressure-chamber in such a manner as to give the
gas as free access as possible to their surfaces. In order to render the gas as nearly
as possible chemically dry on entering the chamber it may, as it comes from the
generator in which it has been produced or the reservoir in which it has been
stored, be passed through a series of cylinders 5 containing chloride of calcium
and asbestos arranged in alternate layers, the cylinders 5 being connected together
by pipes 6 so that the gas will pass through them from bottom to top in succession
and the last cvlinder being connected to the inlet 2 by a pipe 7. 8 is a pressure-
gauge for enabling the pressure within the chamber to be suitably regulated.
After this treatment in the pressure-chamber, the matters are stored in a
hermetically closed chamber (hereinafter referred to as an evaporating-chamber
and shown in diagrammatic vertical section in Fig. 2) whose internal atmosphere,
which may be either ordinary air or any other suitable gas or gaseous mixture, it
may be carbonic acid gas, or a mixture thereof with air, is dried and agitated so
as to cause it to evaporate or absorb any moisture that there may be at or near the
surface of the said matters. For this purpose sulphuric acid, chloride of calcium,
or some other suitable chemical or chemicals is or are arranged, as on trays 9, so
as to take up moisture from the said atmosphere; and the chamber may contain a
rotary fan 10 or the like, or a pump or equivalent may be arranged to draw the
atmosphere out of the chamber and return it thereto. In the latter case the
drying agent may be arranged in the connection between the
and
pump
evaporating chamber. It will be seen that in each case the same atmosphere or
gas is used continuously. By suitable agitation of the atmosphere, the matter may
in some cases, be completely desiccated in the evaporating-chamber. The matters
should, of course, be suspended or otherwise arranged in the evaporating-chamber
in such a manner as to present as large a surface as possible to the internal
atmosphere.
In the case of treating whole carcases of mutton it is found sufficient to expose
them in the pressure-chamber to the action of the gas at a pressure of 2 or
3 atmospheres for 20 to 30 minutes; for a quarter or half of beef the pressure may
be 4 or 5 atmospheres and the time about 40 minutes.
For preserving meat and other organic matters in practically their natural
state I have obtained satisfactory results when using in the evaporating appar-
atus to 1 lb. of strong sulphuric acid or calcined chloride of calcium to every
100 lbs. of the organic matters treated, sufficient agitation of the atmosphere

page_text: being produced by slowly rotating the fan once or twice every 24 hours for a
quarter of an hour each time. For completely drying or desiccating the organic
matters the proportion of the moisture absorbing agent may be increased three or
four times so as to act more energetically and to obtain the desired result quickly
the agitation may be increased and made continuous.
Eggs may be preserved in perfect condition, according to this invention, for a
very long time. They may be treated in two different ways, which may be called
trade-preparation and pharmaceutical preparation.
In the first case regard must be liad to (a) the fact that the alimentary substances
of eggs, being semi-liquids in the raw state and of a very complex nature, are
subject to easy decomposition, the principal factors of which are high temperature,
dampness in the atmosphere, and, sometimes, germs of decomposition found in
their air-chambers; (b) the physical properties of the white and the yolk and their
relative positions in new laid eggs; (e) the fact that eggs that are not fresh can
easily be recognized by the size of their air-chambers, which increases in proportion
to evaporation, and by the displacement of the yolk.
In trade-preparation I prefer to proceed in the following manner:-
The eggs are first packed in suitable receivers in which they are placed upright
on their narrow ends. The receivers are then put into the pressure-chamber and
the gas, which may be at a pressure of 1 atmospheres, penetrates through the
shetis saturates the semi-liquid substances, and neutralizes all germs of decompo-
sition that may accidentally exist therein. The receivers and the packing of the
eggs should, of course, be such as to give the gas free access to the surface of the
eggs.
After treatment for a sufficient time in the pressure-chamber for say 15 to 20
minutes, the eggs are stored for any desired time in an evaporating chamber the
atmosphere of which is kept dry in the manner and by the means hercinbefore
described.
In order to preserve the natural internal arrangement of the white and the yolk,
the eggs should, whilst being stored, be daily or frequently turned so that what
has previously been their lower part shall be uppermost. For this purpose an
apparatus may be employed adapted to turn a large number of eggs simultaneously.
A suitable apparatus for this purpose comprises, as shown diagrammatically in
Fig. 3, a frame 11 in which are rotatably mounted a number of box-shaped
receptacles 12 provided with hinged doors 13 and adapted to contain the receivers
in which the eggs are held with their longer axes vertical. In the example shown
each receptacle 12 is divided into compartments 12ª, 12 and 12° each adapted to
contain a receiver. A number of such receptacles may be arranged in lines
rigidly connected together (in the example shown each line contains two receptacles
connected together by axles 14 provided with flanges 15); these lines of receptacles
may be arranged side by side or one above another, as shown, or in any other
convenient manner and they are connected together by a chain 16 and chain-
wheels 17 secured at their ends or by bevel-gearing or in some other suitable way
so that by rotating a handle 18 (secured, e.g., on an axle 19 provided with a chain-
wheel 20), the whole of the receptacles may be rotated simultaneously. The
apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is enclosed in an evaporating chamber such as herein-
before described and through one side of which one end of the axle 19 extends.
This apparatus may be adapted for turning eggs not contained in receivers by
substituting for the box-like receptacles suitable holders for holding the eggs in a
suitable manner.
In pharmaceutical preparation, the eggs, after the described treatment by the
gas under pressure, are removed from their shells and desiccated in an evaporating
chamber as hereinbefore described, the yolks and the whites being treated
separately or together as required and being placed in wide low receptacles, or on
trays, so as to present a large surface for evaporation. Eggs may in this way be
completely desiccated so that they can afterwards be ground to powder.
In the case of importing meat from abroad, the ordinary ship's refrigerating-

page_text: chambers may be utilized as evaporating-chambers, chemical drying agents being
employed as herein before set forth the atmosphere being ordinary air, and the
temperature being kept between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit or thereabouts, a
low temperature or a high temperature being avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
Preserving organic matters by subjecting them to the action of dry carbonic
acid gas, to the exclusion of air, at a pressure and for a time suited to their bulk
and physiological structure and afterwards storing them in a hermetically closed
chamber the internal atmosphere of which is kept dry by means of a drying agent
and agitation, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 21st day of Tuna 1007
J. J. HAZARD.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.