Year: 1888

page_text: I BENJAMIN WILLCOX of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex Patent
Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention which has been communicated
to me from abroad by Henry Salzer M.D. of Baltimore in the State of Maryland,
United States of America 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 reference to the preparation of meat and other articles of food
for preservation during transportation and storage. Its object is to insure the
protection of the article from all poisonous or destructive germs to keep it in good
condition for long periods of time and to prevent deterioration in flavour and
appearance such as is caused by the canning processes in common use.
It has been proposed heretofore to preserve meat or other food article by immersion
for a time in a substance such as paraffine heating to 212° Fah. or higher and allowing
the paraffine to solidify around it. This method is ineffectual mainly because the
paraffine coating on cooling invariably cracks and becomes permeable to destructive
organisms. A coating of paraffine cannot adapt itself to changes in the shape of an
enclosed article caused by contraction or otherwise and therefore such coating is of no
avail.
Attempts have been made to overcome this defect by an additional coating of
gelatine mixed with glycerine or other substances. But this does not prevent the
cracking of the paraffine coating and the outer coating (glycerine and gelatine)
instead of being a germicide or even a germifuge is the food of certain powerful
species of baccilli.
It has also been proposed to immerse the food article in an antiseptic bath and then
dip into a melted uncrystallized hydrocarbon such as cosmoline vaseline or phyloxine.
But the objection to this process is that the interval between the two steps sufficient
to permit germs to settle in and upon the article after which the protective wrapper is
useless.
".

page_text: According to the present invention vaseline or similar plastic inorganic substance
or preferably a mixture of vaseline and paraffine is used for coating the food article.
The latter however is first enclosed in an expansible envelope such as animal
intestine or membrane which may first be disinfected. This expansible envelope
accommodates itself to changes in the shape or size of the article and its use is
important on that account.
The article is protected by an outer wrapper composed essentially of plaster of
Paris which may be conveniently applied by spreading it upon a piece of gauze or
similar fabric. In carrying out the invention I preferably proceed as follows (taking
meat as an example)
The meat being cut into pieces of convenient size is enclosed in its envelope of
animal membrane (the latter being first disinfected if desired) and then subjected to
the heat of live steam for say thirty minutes more or less, according to the size of the
package which treatment both destroys the micro-organisms and also contracts the
bulk of the article so that it is not likely thereafter to shrink. A coating of plaster of
Paris is then immediately applied, preferably by preparing a mush of the plaster and
spreading it upon a layer of muslin or other fabric to give it coherence and to
facilitate handling. The plaster is allowed to become thoroughly dry and hard after
which the article is placed in a bath of vaseline to which is added from two to
ten per cent. of paraffine to render the substance on cooling sufficiently firm and
coherent.
The article while immersed in this bath is kept in an atmosphere of live steam or
otherwise heated until all parts of it have been sterilized by the heat.
The plaster of Paris being hygroscopic absorbs the melted vaseline and paraffine
through all its pores, and this substance forms a coating inside the plaster of paris
and surrounding the expansible envelope completely filling the space between these
two coverings.
The article is allowed to cool without removal from the bath until the substance
composing the latter becomes of a tenacious consistency when the article may be
taken out. It may then be dipped momentarily in melted paraffine which melts off
the adhering vaseline and further fills the pores giving a smooth appearance to the
outer surface. The package thus formed may finally be wrapped in paper, tin foil, or
other suitable material.
The meat or other article is thus securely packed and effectually protected. The
covering is not likely to be disturbed in handling or transportation and when the.
contents thereof are to be used it can be removed quickly and without difficulty.
The vaseline constitutes an absolute protection against the attack of all destructive
organisms.
When heated with the enclosed article it does not penetrate the membrane or only
to a very slight extent and on cooling the vaseline coating adapts itself to any changes
that may occur in the shape of the article. Inasmuch as the food article remains
permanently coated with the substance in which it is heated there is no moment when
it could be exposed to the attack of any germs.
Modifications may obviously be made in the materials used in the mode of procedure
and in other details without departing from the spirit of the invention.
For example the expansible wrapper though advantageous may in some cases be
dispensed with; and the treatment in the bath of melted vaseline may occur before
instead of after the application of the protective wrapper of plaster of Paris.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. The process of preserving meat or other food articles by enclosing them in an
expansible envelope and afterwards heating in a bath containing vaseline or like
substance which is allowed to harden and form a permanent coating around the article
substantially as herein before described.
2. The process of preserving meat or other food articles by enclosing the same in a

page_text: coating of vaseline or like substance and a protective wrapper-composed essentially of
plaster of Paris substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The process of preserving meat or other food articles by enclosing the same in
an envelope applying a coating of plaster of Paris and after the latter has become dry
immersing the whole in a heated bath of plastic inorganic substance such as vaseline
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The process of preserving meat or other food articles by enclosing the same in
an expansible envelope heating to reduce its bulk and destroy obnoxious organisms
coating with plaster of Paris spread on gauze drying immersing in a bath of vaseline
or like substance heated to a sterilizing temperaturo and removing from the bath after
cooling substantially as hereinbefore described.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents for the said Benjamin Willcox.