גע UVAL Manufacture of New Non-coagulable Albuminous Bodies from Meat and Blood, and of Meat Extracts which contain all the Consti- tuents of Meat in an Unaltered Form, and Processes therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1899
…גע UVAL
Manufacture of New Non-coagulable Albuminous Bodies from Meat
and Blood, and of Meat Extracts which contain all the Consti-
tuents of Meat in an Unaltered Form, and Processes therefor.
I, Dr. ALEXANDER CLASSEN, of Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany, Professor and Privy
State Councillor, 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:—
Attempts to liquify albuminous bodies by heat and steam pressure have since
Wohler's first experiments been repeated by many others in various ways,
Gmelin, Mulder, Hoppe-Seyler, Neumeister, and others have especially inte-
rested themselves in this qustion. Whilst some have examined from a scien-
tific point of view the changes which the albuminous bodies undergo by this
treatment, others as Kemmerich etc., particularly in later years, have con-
sidered rather the practical purposes to which this process may be put in the
manufacture of food.
Most of the former experiments resemble each other in that the reaction took
place at a high temperature, (ordinarily at 150° C., sometimes up to 200° C.)
and at that steam pressure which corresponded with the temperature in ques-
tion. Thus the results were nearly the same, as it was found that the albuminous
bodies under the above mentioned conditions generally underwent a profound
change. According to the temperature and the duration of the treatment a
brown, acid solution which often smelled like burnt horn was obtained; ob-
viously such a solution could not be used as food. (Schmidt, Fresenius, Zeitschr,
für anil Chemie, 1869, VIII., 130. König, Die Menschl. Nuhrungs-u-
Genussmittel, 1893. 3 Aufe II. 183 ff., Neumeister, Lehrl. der Physiol. Ch.
1897, 2 Auf 236.)
The manufacture of food was therefore generally restricted to the application
of the natural digestive enzymes, both of animal and plant origin (pepsin, tryp-
sin, papayotin, etc.) by means of which the so-called meat peptones are pre-
pared; but these also contain the albumin in an advanced state of alteration,
generally in the form of peptone, (Konig loc cit. 178 ff).
Many of these preparations are a great improvement on the original meat
extracts (which as is known, contain no albumin at all) inasmuch as they are
a step nearer to the complete utilization of the meat fibrin which is rejected
in the manufacture of extracts. Such peptones are offered for sale under the
names of concentrated or perfect foods, fluid meat and the like.
I have now found that it is possible to convert the albuminous bodies of meat
into a soluble form which differs only in several points from genuine albumin
solutions and thus the requirements which can be made respecting food are
fully satisfied.
The great value which Liebig the inventor of the meat extract set upon such
a preparation appears clearly in his own words. He said: —
"If it were possible to make a preparation from meat at a reasonably low
price which would contain the albuminous bodies together with the extractive
077

page_text: matter, such a preparation would be preferable to my extract of meat; for such
a preparation would contain all the nutritive matter of meat. I often have
stated that in the manufacture of beef extract the albuminous matter of meat
is rejected as worthless which is a loss of food, and this must certainly be called
an imperfection of the meat extract."
The conversion of the albuminous bodies into an incoagulable-and non pep-
tonised form which possesses the chief properties of genuine albumin, 18
effected by subjecting the albumin at a relatively low temperature to a pressure
which is considerably higher than that which corresponds with the temperature
in question, whilst in the experiments mentioned before, the pressure was ob-
tained by increasing the temperature by which process, as has been pointed
out, albumin undergoes a profound change.
If for instance, the aqueous solution of white of egg is heated to a tem-
perature only a few degrees-higher than that of coagulation (or even higher
for as is known coagulation of albumen depends on its nature and on the presence
of other substances) and at the same time subjected to a high pressure (under
a pressure of about 30 to 40 atmospheres or even higher the conversion takes
place in a short time), an incoagulable solution of albumin is obtained; the
same is perfectly colourless and opalescent. Evaporated to dryness at a low
temperature it leaves a yellowish-white leafy mass of a silky lustre-non hy-
groscopic perfectly soluble in water and-in dilute solutions--not coagulable
by heating. The aqueous solution coincides with that of original albumin in
its chief properties, except the coagulation by heat.
The principal reactions characterizing the albumin in the solution are 1) the
precipitate produced by nitric acid, insoluble in a slight excess of the latter,
2) the precipitate of lead sulphide by heating the solution together with caustic
soda and lead acetate, (Neumeister loc. cit. 237) and 3) its behaviour towards
sodium chloride and acetic acid on boiling (Neumeister loc. cit. 230).
In this way it is now possible to liquety without peptonization the meat
albumin (which is identical with white of egg) together with all the other
constitutents of the meat extracts.
With respect to meat fibrin, this substance behaves analogously to all other
kinds of soluble albumin and by means of pressure and a relatively low tempera-
ture may be transformed into a solution which after evaporation becomes a light
yellow, leafy lustrous mass.
I have now found that for conserving the original character of the albuminous
bodies it is necessary to produce the pressure by means of such gases as will
not peptonise nor precipitate them. As to the use of air, this gas is not suit-
able, for several reasons; firstly its oxygen would produce a partial peptonization
of the albuminous bodies and, moreover it would be necessary to purify it and
to free it from carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide is used for producing pres-
sure, carbonic acid is formed in the liquid and the whole quantity of soluble
albumin (of the coagulable modification) is precipitated.
Hence it is necessary for converting coagulable albumins into a non coagu-
lable modification--to employ a gas which neither precipitates nor peptonises
albumin, e.g., hydrogen.
In liquefying meat fibrin carbon dioxide amongst other gases mav
be employed, the solution of fibrin being less coagulable; but one disad
vantage of this method consists in the partial peptonization of the fibrin
by carbonic acid which is formed and dissolved in the liquid.
The application of the before described method will be shown by the follow-
ing examples.

page_text: pressed through a linen cloth. The residue is treated once more with water in
the same manner. If the complete extraction is not required it will suffice
to press out the meat in a squeezing machine. The solution obtained is then
heated in an autoclave, provided with a stirring apparatus at from 80 to 125° C.
under a pressure of nearly 30 atm., until transformation is complete, the duration
of the operation depends on the degree of concentration of the liquid. If
albumin previously is to be separated from the basic compounds and salts, it
is precipitated from the solution by heating and then converted into the soluble
modification by means of pressure.
The pressure as above mentioned, must be effected by compressing into the
vessel an indifferent gas, such as hydrogen. The solution obtained in this
manner is evaporated to dryness in flat pans.
In presence of small quantities of fat a small quantity of an alkali carbonate or
another compound of similar action is added to the solution. Coagulable al-
bumins in general behave like soluble meat albumin. They are converted into
the non-coagulable modification as above described either in a solid or a liquid
condition or suspended in water.
EXAMPLE 2.
The insoluble residue which remains after the treatment of meat with water
consists, as is known, chiefly of meat fibrin, gelatine and fat. To convert the
fibrin freed from gelatinous substances into the soluble modification: the method
described in Example 1, can generally be applied. A small quantity of alkali
carbonate or magnesia (about gram of the latter per kilo.) is added in order
to prevent the formation of free acids (caused by the decomposition of fat which
would effect the partial peptonization of the fibrin. The solution of fibrin,
separated by filtration from fat, (and it may be from magnesia) is treated in
the same manner as under 1.
The pressure can be produced in the same manner as under Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3.
In applying this process to meat without separating the soluble constituents,
or 1 litre of water, with a sufficient quantity of alkali carbonate, or similar
compounds is added to 1 kilo. of meat, and the whole mixture is treated as
described under 2.
As the gelatinous substances of meat are easily transformed into peptone, a
certain quantity of the latter will always be found in the product.
For transforming the soluble albumin of blood, separated from blood fibrin
it may be treated in the same manner as in Example 1. Blood fibrin itself is
treated like meat fibrin.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is-
1. Process for the conversion of soluble meat albumin, as well as of albumin
of any origin into a soluble non-coagulable form, consisting in submitting the
albumin in an autoclave, at a temperature of from 80 to 130° C. to a high pressure
such as 50 atmospheres-produced by means of appropriate gases-the solution
thus obtained being then dried either in vacuo or at a low temperature sub-
stantially as described.
2. Process for the conversion of meat fibrin or blood fibrin into a soluble
non-coagulable modification consisting in mixing the fibrin with water with
the addition of a small quantity of alkali carbonate, magnesia or similar com-
pounds and heating it at 130° C. under a pressure of 30 atmospheres, until a
complete solution is obtained which is then separated from fat, etc., and evapor-
ated substantially as described.
3. Process for the conversion of all the albuminous and extractive matters

page_text: of meat into a soluble non-coagulable modification, consisting in mixing the
finely divided meat with water with the addition of some alkali carbonate, mag-
nesia or similar compounds and heating this mixture at about 130° C. under a
pressure of about 30 atm. and stirring, until complete solution is obtained,
the latter being then dried substantially as described.
4. As a new article of manufacture: soluble and non-coagulable albumin of
any origin produced substantially as herein described.
5. As a new article of manufacture: soluble non-coagulable fibrin of any
orogin produced substantially as herein described.
6. As a new article of manufacture: Extracts of meat containing both the
soluble albumin in a non-coagulable modification and the extractive matter pro-
duced, substantially as herein described.
7. As a new article of manufacture: Extracts containing soluble fibrin of any
origin produced substantially as herein described.
8. As a new article of manufacture: Extracts containing all the albuminous
and extractive constituents of meat in a soluble form and chiefly the albuminous
bodies not as peptones produced substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of March 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.