Improvements in Meat Preparations.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Meat Preparations.
We, THOMAS DENCE and ALEXANDER HENRY DENCE, both of 74 to 84, South
Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, S.W., and elsewhere, Preserved Provision Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The preparation of a sterilized raw meat meal or powder from raw meat in
the manner and by the process hereinafter described, in such a way that the
meat remains absolutely unchanged in its chemical and nutrient constituents
(except by the deprivation of water) and retains the whole of its natural albumen
uncoagulated, and preserves the natural extractive essences (unvolatilized by heat)
in their original condition, and is also presented in a finely divided form capable
of rapid solution, assimilation and absorption by invalid or delicate stomachs
that would be incapable of digesting meat foods as ordinarily prepared. The
powder so prepared will keep good in any climate, without any other artificial or
chemical mode of preservation.
The term meat" we take to include the flesh of any animal, bird or fish.
Our mode of preparation is as follows:-
The lean of the finest meat, freshly killed (either beef, mutton, chicken &c.,
as the case may be,) cut into thin slices or strips, and hung or placed in a room,
chamber, or open space, where it is exposed to a current of air artificially heated
to a temperature not exceeding 100° to 120° Fahr., which air before entering the
chamber, room or place where the meat is, is passed or driven through a filtering
disc or tube of prepared cotton wool, or through pipes heated to a temperature
over 250° Fahr., which gather up and destroy such particles or germs as would
otherwise settle on the meat.
An alternative mode of dissication is by placing the strips or slices of meat in a
vessel or close chamber with chloride of calcium, so contrived that the calcium
shall deprive the meat of its moisture without coming into actual contact with
it; but we have found the air process the best. After a few hours the meat thus
heated is perfectly desiccated, the colour being changed from a bright red to a dull
dark brown, and it becomes a crisp and brittle substance easily pulverizable in
a mortar, mill, or other grinding apparatus, after which it is rubbed through a
fine sieve, by which means 'all hard or indigestible matter and gristle remaining
are separated.
The meat powder thus prepared may either be made use of in that form, or
it may be mixed with a small proportion of pepsine or hydrochloric acid or both
to aid digestion, it may be mixed with butter and used in the form of a potted meat
on bread, or it can be made into a beef tea containing the whole of the properties
of the meat instead of the mere extractives, or it can be added to various other
forms of food or beverage as it may be found most convenient to administer.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1897.

page_text: Improvements in Meat Preparations.
We, THOMAS DENCE and ALEXANDER HENRY DENCE (his son), of Mayfair Works,
74 to 84, South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, in the County of Surrey, and elsewhere,
Preserved Provision Manufacturers, 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:-
The preparation of à sterilized raw meat meal or powder from raw meat by the.
process hereinafter described, in such a way that the meat remains absolutely
unchanged in its chemical and nutrient constituents (except by the deprivation
of water) and also retains the whole of the meat albumen in an uncoagulated form,
and also preserves the extractive essences of the uncooked meat (the virtue of which
is partly destroyed changed or volatilized by heat in preparation, by cooking) in
their natural condition, and presents the meat in a form most finely divided and
thus capable of rapid solution, assimilation and absorption by the invalid
stomach and tissues, freed from gristle and other indigestible matter.
The powder will keep good for any period of time, in any climate.
The term "meat" we take to include the flesh of any animal, bird, or fish.
Our mode of preparation is as follows:-
The lean of the finest meat (either beef mutton veal or chicken &c. as the case
may be) is separated from the fat, bone, gristle &c., and cut into thin slices or
strips, and hung or placed in a room or chamber and exposed to a current of air
artificially heated to the temperature of from 100° to 120° Fahrenheit, which air,
before entering the room or chamber containing the meat is passed or driven
through a filtering disc prepared with fatty unbleached sheeps' wool, which
deprives such air of all germs and other injurious foreign matters which might
otherwise settle on the meat. After a few hours the meat thus treated as above,
dries, the colour being changed. from a bright red to a dull dark brown, it is a
crisp and brittle substance easily pulverized in a mortar, mill, or other grinding
apparatus after which it is rubbed through a fine sieve by which means all remain-
ing indigestible matter and gristle &c., which cannot be well assimilated by the
invalid stomach are separated. This being done the meat powder is completed and
may be put to various uses.
The meat powder thus prepared may be manufactured into potted meat by
mixing it in a mortar with an equal quantity of butter from which the moisture
has been thoroughly kneaded out, together with a little seasoning or herbs or
spice to taste, the whole thoroughly pounded with the pestle until perfectly
homogeneous and impalpable. Or it may be put into a castor and from ½ ounce
to 2 ounces sprinkled over any kind of food intended to be administered to an
invalid, such as bread & butter, toast, gruel, barley water, which may be desired
should be increased in nutritive power by the addition of the meat meal containing
its albumen uncoagulated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
(1) The preparation of a dry raw meat meal or powder, desiccated by being
placed in a current of air artificially warmed to a temperature not exceeding 1200
Fahrenheit so as to preserve the albumen and other constituents of the meat in
a form uncoagulated and unchanged from their condition in the fresh meat, in.
the manner hereby specified.

page_text: (2) The use of such meat meal or powder in the preparation of potted meat, or
such other form of diet as may be found most convenient for its administration
to invalids.
(3) The sterilization of the warmed air used in drying fresh meat by means of
filtration as described.