Nicolas Appert made a leap in food preservation that it changed the diet of entire mankind within the 19th century turning food into an industry. Here are 10 things to know about Nicolas Appert, his time, and his innovation.
1. Nicolas Appert worked with food throughout his life
Born on November 17, 1749, Nicolas Appert hailed from the Champagne region of France. From his young age, he helped in the preservation of vegetables through pickling. He then moved to brewing beer and other alcohol. He later became chef for a Duke and later on moved to Paris to become a famous confectioner by the end of the 1780s.
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| The storming of Bastille was a pivotal moment in the French Resolution |
2. Ardent supporter of the French Revolution
In 1789, when the people decided to topple the monarchy and ruling elite, Appert joined. He donated money and even got elected as a representative. When the Directory in 1795 needed help in looking for a solution to food shortages, he took the challenge.
3. The War and Revolution triggered the need for new preservation technique
While Appert represented his district and even voted to execute Louis XVI, France fought a coalition of monarchist countries. The French Army successfully defended the Revolution and wanted to turn the tides against their enemies. However, the counter attack needed more soldiers. Furthermore, at home, a situation where the people felt hungry and angry needed to be avoided.
Stocking food by preserving through pickling and sugaring food turned the quality and the smell. A change of process for preservation held the key to increasing the military size and keeping public support. Thus, in 1795, the ruling Directory of France posted a challenge for anyone who can develop a new preservation technique with a 12,000 Franc reward.
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| Execution of Louis XVI by Georg Heinrich Sieveking |
4. Appert developed his technique for more than a decade
From 1795 to 1809, Appert observed, experimented, and developed his new food preservation technique that came to be known as Appertization. He noticed champagne and wine lasting long in bottles and so from there he worked his way. By the early 1800’s he already preserved some vegetables including peas and later on sent samples to the navy who also would benefit a lot from food preservation.
5. Appertization developed from experience and observation
Appertization called for the food to be stuck into bottles, corked, and then plunged into boiling water. Afterwhich, they sealed the corked with wires and wax. Appert only knew that doing the water bath preserved the food, but cannot explain the reason or logic of the process.
Only in the 1850s did Louis Pasteur finally give a scientific explanation. Through heat of the boiling water, the spoilage-causing germs inside the bottles died and by sealing the bottles prevent contamination. Thus, Appertization worked as a prototype for the later development of Pasteurization.
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| Louis Pasteur |
6. Only in 1810 Appert received the reward after fulfilling a request
In 1809, the Ministry of Interior praised Appert’s work, but before handing out the request, they wanted him to do something. Seeing the value of his work in improving diet of the entire country and even the world, the government asked Appert to publish his process.
Hence, in 1810, The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances for Several Years came out of the prints. It got translated in different languages and only then the French government gave Appert his reward.
7. In less than a decade after publication of his book, new developments in the process came out
While Appert continued to develop his work and published his findings eventually in 1810, Philippe de Girard introduced the use of iron or tin can to replace the fragile bottles. He had his development patented in England, but under the name of Peter Durand.
Durand later on sold the rights to the patent to Bryan Donkin and John Hall. The duo founded a canning facility and so France as well as England began to produce preserved packaged foods.
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| Philippe de Girard |
8. Appert founded a business and continued to be an innovator
Appert established the La Maisson de Appert in Massy in 1812. His company produced bottled and later canned foods up until 1933. After the war, he even began to export his production through different parts of Europe.
While the company endured, Appert churned out new inventions, such as the bouillon cubes and later on the creation of gelatin via animal bone marrows. He did not rest on his laurels.
9. Good inventor, bad businessman
Just like Steve Jobs releasing yearly new iPhones, Appert unveiled more inventions. However, experimentations needed a lot of money, thus he burned a lot of it with his invention, including his can goods, failed to generate high profits. Worst part, since he published his technique which anyone could copy easily, no big royalties flowed into his pocket.
The political situation failed to improve things. In 1814, as the war turned against Napoleon and the Allied Armies marched into France, House of Appert became a casualty as it went up in flames. Though the restored monarchy helped Appert to rebuild his business in Paris with subsidy in rent, his support for the Revolution turned him into a target of harassment for conservatives. In 1827 he lost his subsidy and which pressured his business even more
10. He laid to rest in a pauper’s grave
In 1836, Appert retired from the House of Appert. His attempt to revive his fortune by requesting to be a member of the Legion of Honor that came with stipends failed. Old and broken by the financial problems and harassment he lived as a poor man. Ultimately, he passed away in 1831 and his remains interned in a public cemetery.
See also:
Who is Nicolas Appert?
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