Improvements in the Treatment and Packing of Meats or like Articles of Food for Rendering them Fit for Use for Army Rations, or for analogous uses.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment and Packing of Meats or like
Articles of Food for Rendering them Fit for Use for Army
Rations, or for analogous uses.
I, PAUL PFLEIDERER of 27 Leadenhall Street in the City of London Banker
do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been communicated to me
from abroad by Charles James Hislop Warden of the Medical College, Bengal, in
the Indian Empire, Professor of Chemistry, and William Alfred Billings, of Meerut
in the North-Western Provinces of the said Empire Retired Government Servant)
to be as follows:-
:-
The principal object of this invention is to treat and pack meats, or other articles
of food (such as fish for instance) so that they are rendered to a condition fit for use
as food, without necessity for cooking when they are to be consumed; and so that
they are preserved for long periods in a state fit for food; and further so that they
occupy but small space, and can be readily carried by soldiers, or others. The
constituents of the fresh articles of food are moreover retained in the finished
products, so that they can take the place of fresh food, when a supply of fresh food
is not obtainable. According to this invention the food, (I will presume it to be
meat for the purposes of description) is treated as follows:-All fat, skin, and bone,
should first be removed, and the meat be then divided, or minced, and pressed to
express as much as possible of the juices. The cakes of meat thus produced are
then broken up and the fragments dried in a current of heated air, which can be.
conveniently effected by placing the fragments on perforated trays in a chamber
through which hot air is passed. The temperature should be raised during the
operation. For example, it is found advantageous to commence with a temperature
of about 120°, to 130°, Fahrenheit and, after a time, to raise it to about 160°, to 170°
Fahrenheit, and, finally, to, or about, 212° Fahrenheit. It is advisable not to
exceed the latter temperature and to continue it only for a short time. The air
may be heated by any suitable means; for instance, by passing it through tubes
surrounded by a heating medium, and if necessary the air may, before being heated,
be deprived of moisture by cooling, or other means. The pieces which have been
expressed are evaporated under a temperature which should not exceed 212° Fahren-
heit, and any fat should be removed. To allow of a comparatively low temperature
being employed for the evaporation it may be effected in a vacuum pan. When'
the evaporation has been effected till the juices are of the requisite consistency, (say.
about that of treacle), it is stirred to thoroughly incorporate the coagulated
albumen. The juices thus treated and the meat fibre, which has been desiccated as
aforesaid, are then intimately mixed together and the mixture is formed into cakes,
or thin layers, which are pressed, and desiccated at a temperature preferably not
exceeding about 160° to 170° Fahrenheit. Salt, or other flavouring matter, such
as spices, or the like, may be added before mixing pressing and desiccating. The
cakes, or layers, are then plunged into a bath of melted, or boiling, fatty matter, or
otherwise coated therewith. This will destroy any injurious germs and restore to
meat the fatty matter previously removed. The cakes, or layers, can then be
allowed to drain in a chamber which may be heated to about 212° Fahrenheit.
The cakes, or layers, are then packed in such a manner as to protect them from
injurious influences and also to allow of their being readily unpacked. This may be
done as follows. The cakes, or layers, are enclosed in paper or the like, impregnated
with fat, and several of the cakes or layers so treated can be enclosed in paper, or
the like, which has been impregnated with a fatty matter, such as solid paraffin for
instance, and the whole may be enclosed in lead, or tin, foil which can be soldered

page_text: at the seams; and then the whole can be enclosed in strong parchment paper glued,
or cemented, at the joints. This is done preferably with a solution of gelatine and
bichromate of potash, and the packet is exposed to light so as to render the gelatine
insoluble. The packets can be placed in tin, or other, boxes the lids of which
can be secured by cemented paper or the like. The meat thus prepared can be
eaten as a biscuit or it can be prepared as a broth.
Dated this 29th day of March 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment and Packing of Meats or like
Articles of Food for Rendering them Fit for Use for Army
Rations, or for analogous uses.
I PAUL PFLEIDERER of 27 Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Banker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by Charles James Hislop Warden, of the Medical College,
Bengal, in the Indian Empire, Professor of Chemistry and William Alfred Billings
of Meerut in the North-Western Provinces of the said Empire, Retired
Government Servant and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The principal object of this invention is to treat and pack meats, or other articles of
food (such as fish for instance) so that they are rendered to a condition fit for use
as food without necessity for cooking when they are to be consumed (although they
may be cooked if so desired) and so that they are preserved for long periods in a
state fit for food; and further so that they occupy but small space, and can be
readily carried by soldiers or others. The constituents of the fresh articles of
food are moreover retained in the finished products, so that they can take the place
of fresh food, when a supply of fresh food is not obtainable. According to this
invention the food (I will presume it to be meat for the purposes of description) is
treated as follows.
All fat, skin, and bone should first be removed, and the meat be then divided, or
minced, and pressed to express as much as possible of the juices. The cakes of
meat thus produced are then broken up or divided into pieces of any desired size
and shape and the fragments or pieces are dried in a current of heated air, which
can be conveniently effected by placing the fragments on perforated trays in a
chamber through which hot air is passed or by placing the slices on wires so as to
suspend them in the drying chamber. The temperature should be raised during the
operation. For example, it is found advantageous to commence with a temperature
of about 120° to 130° Fahrenheit and after a time to raise it to about 160° to
170° Fahrenheit and finally, to, or about 212° Fahrenheit. It is advisable not to
exceed the latter temperature and to continue it only for a short time. The air
may be heated by any suitable means, for instance, by passing it through tubes
surrounded by a heating medium, and if necessary the air may before being heated
be deprived of moisture by cooling or other means.
The juices which have been expressed are evaporated under a temperature which
should not exceed 212° Fahrenheit and any fat should be removed by skimming or
otherwise. To allow of a comparatively low temperature being employed for the
evaporation it may be effected in a vacuum pan. When the evaporation has been
effected till the pieces are of the requisite consistency (say about that of treacle) it
is stirred to thoroughly incorporate the coagulated albumen. The juices thus
treated and the meat fibre, which has been desiccated as aforesaid, are then
intimately mixed together and the mixture is formed into cakes, or thin layers,
which are pressed, and desiccated at a temperature preferably not exceeding

page_text: about 160° to 170° Fahrenheit. Salt or other flavouring matter such as spices or
the like may be added before mixing pressing and desiccating.
The cakes or layers are then plunged into a bath of melted or boiling fatty
matter, or otherwise coated therewith usually meat fat, for meat, and butter for
fish. This will destroy any injurious germs and restore to the meat the fatty matter
previously removed. The cakes, or layers can then be allowed to drain in a chamber
which may be heated to about 212° Fahrenheit. The cakes or layers are then
packed in such a manner as to protect them from injurious influences and also to
allow of their being readily unpacked. This may be done as follows. The cakes
or layers are enclosed in paper or the like impregnated with fat and several of the
cakes or layers so treated can be enclosed in paper, or the like which has been
impregnated with a fatty matter, such as solid paraffin for instance (but this latter
may be omitted) and the whole may be enclosed in lead or tin foil, which can be
soldered at the seams, and then the whole can be enclosed in strong parchment
paper glued or cemented at the joints. This is done preferably with a solution of
gelatine and bichromate of potash, and the packet is exposed to light so as to render
the gelatine insoluble. The packets can if desired be then placed in tin or other
boxes, the lids of which can be secured by cemented paper or the like.
The meat thus prepared can be eaten as a biscuit, or it can be prepared as a
broth.
I include in the expression "meat" the flesh of animals or of fish generally and
it may be employed alone or if desired bread or biscuits or vegetable matter may
be dried and powdered and mixed with the meat before the juice is added as
aforesaid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is:
1. The production of a preserved and readily transportable article of food
substantially as herein before described.
2. In or for the preparation of a preserved and readily transportable article of
food the separation of the juice from flesh the treatment and desiccation of both
products and the subsequent admixture of the desiccated products all substantially
as hereinbefore described and whether the meat be used alone or in admixture with
breadstuff or biscuit desiccated and powdered.
*
3. The desiccation of meat fibre by means of air which has been deprived of
moisture and dried as hereinbefore described.
4. The treatment of the articles of food produced according to the preceding
second claiming clause to provide them with a coating or covering of fatty matter
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The packing of the articles of food substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 13th day of November 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.