AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PRESERVING BREAD FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS, THE ARMY AND NAVY, AND OTHERS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Dominique Tamet, of No. 10, St. Mary Axe, in
the City of London, Merchant, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
PROCESS FOR PRESERVING BREAD FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS, THE ARMY AND
NAVY, AND OTHERS."-A communication from abroad by A. Mouries,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Dominique Tamet at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd September 1875.
I, DOMINIQUE TAMET, of No. 10, St. Mary Axe, in the City of
London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PRESERVING BREAD FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS,
THE ARMY AND NAVY, AND OTHERS," to be as follows, that is to say :—
Until now hiscuit has been the only food for replacing hread under

page_text: As is well known biscuit is used by travellers, the army and navy, as
an aliment of necessity and nothing more. Biscuit is heavier than
bread, less aërated, becomes impregnated more slowly with saliva, and
requires efforts for its trituration which toothless gums and persons
whose teeth are effected are incapable of performing.
Investigations have been made with the object to be able at all times
and in all places to feed the troops, the navy, and travellers with bread,
either in a fresh or new state or preserved. Until now this problem has
only been imperfectly solved.
Several processes of preparation for preserving bread have been tried,
but some of them take from this food certain parts of its hygienic
properties, and others are complicated in their execution, and costly.
After laborious researches and many years of experimentation I have
discovered a simple and economical means of preserving bread without
occasioning any loss of its taste or of its nutritive qualities, and
facilating its transport by reducing its volume.
To carry out this Invention I take bread made in the ordinary manner
without regard to the flour employed. This bread is placed on shelves
in a chamber in which currents of hot air are made to circulate. When
it has been freed of all its moisture, that is to say, when it is dried to 2
such a degree as to allow of its being pulverised, it is submitted in a
stove or oven to the action of water steam, at least at about 100 degrees
centigrade of heat during about ten minutes; it is there submitted to a
second baking which softens it; it must then be rapidly compressed by
means of any suitable press by placing it on wooden or metal shelves 2
between laths which give the cakes the form and thickness required.
Pressure is applied until the cakes are cool; the cakes are then with-**
drawn and will retain the form given to them; they are afterwards
placed in a drying chamber in such a way as to be exposed to the action
of the air, and until perfectly dry and ready for use or packing for
exportation.
A vessel about one cubic yard in capacity will contain about ten
hundredweight of bread so prepared, the preservation of which is ensured
during several years without other precautions than that of keeping
the cases from free moisture. The bread thus prepared retains all its 3

page_text: primitive and nutritive qualities and properties; it can be used in three
different ways.
First. It may be eaten in a dry state like biscuits.
Secondly. For making soup it is cut up in small pieces about the size
of a nut, which are placed in the soup tureen with ten times their
weight of hot soup. At the expiration of a few minutes it will absorb
much of the liquid and retake its primitive volume and aspect.
Thirdly. It can be restored to its fresh or new state in the following
manner: -It is immersed during about one minute in cold water, then
exposed to a heat of about 100 degrees centigrade in an oven or vessel
well closed; in a short time it will swell and the crumb be restored to
its open
state; it can then be eaten like new bread and the difference if
any is scarcely perceptible.
F
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Dominique Tamet in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st March 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DOMINIQUE
TAMET, of No. 10, St. Mary Axe, in the City of London, Merchant, send
grecting.
ני
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Dominique. Tamet, Her
special licence that I, the said Dominique Tamet, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Dominique
Tamet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-

page_text: tion for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PRESERVING BREAD FOR THE USE OF
TRAVELLERS, THE ARMY AND NAVY, AND OTHERS," a communication from
abroad by A. Mouries, Officer in the French Army, of Lyons, in the
Republic of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Dominique Tamet, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Dominique Tamet, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
Uptil now biscuit has been the only food for replacing bread under
circumstances where it is very difficult or impossible to obtain bread.
As is well known biscuit is used by travellers, the army and navy, as
an aliment of necessity and nothing more. Biscuit is heavier than
bread, less aërated, and becomes impregnated more slowly with saliva,
and requires efforts for its trituration which toothless gums and persons
whose teeth are affected are incapable of performing.
Investigations have been made with the object of being able at all
times and in all places to feed troops, navics, and travellers with bread,
either in a fresh or new state or preserved. Until now this problem has
only been imperfectly solved.
Several processes of preparation for preserving bread have been tried,
but some of them take from this food certain parts of its hygienic
properties, and others are complicated in their execution, and costly.
After laborious reseaches and many years of experimentation a simple
and economical means of preserving bread has been discovered by my
foreign correspondent without occasioning any loss of its taste or of
its nutritive qualities, and facilitating its transport by reducing its
volume.

page_text: To carry out the Invention communicated to me I take bread made
in the ordinary manner without regard to the flour employed. This
bread is placed on shelves in a chamber in which currents of hot air are
made to circulate. When it has been freed of all its moisture, that is to
say, when it is dried to such a degree as to allow of its being pulverised,
it is submitted in a stove or oven to the action of water steam at a
temperature of at least 100 degrees centigrade during about ten minutes;
it is there submitted to a second baking which softens it; it must then
be rapidly compressed by means of any suitable press by placing it on
wooden or metal shelves, between laths which give the cakes the form
and thickness required. Pressure is applied until the cakes are cool;
the cakes are then withdrawn and will retain the form given to them;
they are afterward placed in a drying chamber in such a way as to be
exposed to the action of the air, and until perfectly dry and ready for
use or packing for exportation.
A vessel about onc cubic yard in capacity will contain about ten
hundredweight of bread so prepared, the preservation, of which is
ensured for a period of several years without other precautions than that
of keeping the cases free from moisture. The bread thus prepared retains
nearly all its primitive and nutritive qualities and properties; it can be
used in three different ways.
First. It may be eaten in a dry state like biscuits.
Secondly. For making soup it is cut up in small pieces about the size
of a nut, which are placed in the soup tureen with about ten times their
weight of hot soup. At the expiration of a few minutes the pieces of
bread will absorb much of the liquid, and will retake their primitive
volume and aspect.
Thirdly. It can be restored to its fresh or new state in the following
manner-It is immersed during about one minute in cold water then
exposed to a heat of about 100 degrees centigrade in an oven or vessel
well closed; in a short time it will swell and the crumb be restored to
its open state;
it can then be eaten like new bread, and the difference if
any is scarcely perceptible.
Having thus described the Invention communicated to me, and the
5 best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, what

page_text: I claim is, the improved process for preserving bread as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Dominique Tamet, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
G. F. REDFERN,'
4, South Street,
Finsbury.
DAVE. TAMET. (L.S.)