Nicolas Appert
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Nicolas Appert (17 November 1749 – 1 June 1841) was a French confectioner and
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
who, in the early 19th century, invented airtight
food preservation Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the redox, oxidation of fats. This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process. Food preservation may also include processes that in ...
. Appert, known as the " father of
food science Food science (or bromatology) is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing ...
", described his invention as a way "of conserving all kinds of food substances in containers".


Early life

Appert was born in
Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons ...
, the ninth of eleven children. His family ran an inn in the town and he worked in the family business until the age of twenty, when he opened a brewery with one of his brothers. He then served as head
chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...
to Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken for thirteen years. Appert was a confectioner and chef in Paris from 1784 to 1795. During this period, he married Elisabeth Benoist and the couple had four children. Appert was active during the French Revolution and took part in the execution of King
Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
. However, he fell under suspicion during the subsequent
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
and was arrested in April 1794, but he was able to avoid being executed himself. In 1795, he began experimenting with ways to preserve foodstuffs, succeeding with soups, vegetables, juices, dairy products, jellies, jams, and syrups. He placed the food in glass jars, sealed them with cork and sealing wax and placed them in boiling water (in later years, he switched to using an autoclave). It is believed that this technique was already being used by homemakers, but Appert was the first to do this on an industrial scale.


Thermal processing (canning)

In 1804, La Maison Appert (), in the town of Massy, near Paris, became the first food bottling factory in the world, years before
Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, Fermentation, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the la ...
proved that heat killed bacteria. Appert then established a business to preserve a variety of
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
in sealed bottles. At first he used champagne bottles, imperfectly sealed by a mixture of cheese and mineral lime. Appert's method transitioned to filling thick, large-mouthed glass bottles with produce of every description, ranging from beef, fowl, eggs, milk, and prepared dishes. Appert avoided using
tinplate Tinplate consists of sheet metal, sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rust, rusting. Before the advent of cheap mild steel, the backing metal (known as "") was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinp ...
in his early manufacture because the quality of French tinplate was poor. He left air space at the top of the bottle, and the cork would then be sealed firmly in the jar by using a
vise A vise or vice (British English) is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by a screw and lever. The jaws are ofte ...
. The bottle was then wrapped in canvas to protect it, dunked into boiling water, and boiled for as much time as Appert deemed appropriate for cooking the contents thoroughly. In honor of Appert, canning is sometimes called "appertization", which is distinct from
pasteurization In food processing, pasteurization (American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), also pasteurisation) is a process of food preservation in which packaged foods (e.g., milk and fruit juices) are treated wi ...
. Despite his technical successes, Appert had financial troubles due to the high cost of his equipment and the fact that he was not a very good businessman. He declared
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in 1806, but was able to continue his business. In 1795, the French army had offered a prize of 12,000
francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
for a new method to preserve food. In 1806 Appert presented a selection of bottled fruits and vegetables from his manufacture at the
Exposition des produits de l'industrie française The Exposition des produits de l'industrie française (; ) was a public event organized in Paris, France, from 1798 to 1849. The purpose was "to offer a panorama of the productions of the various branches of industry with a view to emulation". Ba ...
, but did not win any reward. In 1810 the Bureau of Arts and Manufactures of the Ministry of the Interior gave Appert an ''ex gratia'' payment of 12,000 francs on condition that he make his process public. Appert accepted and published a book describing his process that year. Appert's treatise was entitled ''L'Art de conserver les substances animales et végétales'' (''The Art of Preserving Animal and Vegetable Substances''), 6,000 copies of which were printed in 1810. This was the first book of its kind on modern food preservation methods. Appert never truly understood why his method worked, as the science of
bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...
had not yet been developed, but it was so simple that it quickly became widespread. In 1810, British inventor and merchant
Peter Durand Peter Durand (21 October 1766 – 23 July 1822) was an English merchant who is widely credited with receiving the first patent for the idea of preserving food using tin cans. The patent (No 3372) was granted on August 25, 1810, by King George III ...
patented his own method, but this time in a tin can, thus creating the modern-day process of canning foods. In 1812 Englishmen
Bryan Donkin Bryan Donkin FRS FRAS (22 March 1768 – 27 February 1855) developed the first paper making machine and created the world's first commercial canning factory. These were the basis for large industries that continue to flourish today. Bryan D ...
and John Hall purchased both patents and began producing preserves.


Later life

Despite the government grant, Appert's financial situation did not improve and was exacerbated by the destruction of his factory at Massy by Prussian and Austrian forces at the end of the
War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
in 1814. With the support of the French government in the form of free rent, he opened a new factory in Paris to preserve food in tin cans, which lasted for ten years until the same government evicted him in December 1827. Appert's canned goods were widely appreciated, especially by naval services as the products were far superior to the dried and salted provisions on which they had previously relied. Cans were exported to
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
and
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, and received praise from newspapers across France. However, this did not translate into financial success. Despite silver and gold medals from the Société d'encouragement pour l'industrie nationale in 1816 and 1820 respectively, it was not until 1824 that he received the 2,000 francs associated with them. In 1828, he opened yet another factory in the city. He petitioned
Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
for entry into the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
but was denied, possibly due to his activities during the Revolution. Taking this as an insult, he retired in 1836 at the age of 86. Despite a pension of 1,200 francs a year from the government beginning that year, he died in poverty in 1841 and was buried in a pauper's grave.


Posthumous honors

In 1955 a French postal stamp commemorated him. In 1985 a street in Paris, the Rue Nicolas-Appert, was constructed and named in his honour. Many other streets in France bear his name. In 1991, a monumental statue of Appert, a work in bronze by the artist Jean-Robert Ipousteguy, was erected in Châlons-en-Champagne. A plaque was affixed to his birthplace in 1986. A room in the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Châlons-en-Champagne was dedicated to him. There is a high school named after Nicolas Appert in Orvault, France. 2010 was declared Nicolas Appert Year, a national celebration, by the French ministry of culture. The Principality of
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
issued a postage stamp featuring Appert. An exhibition entitled "''Mise en boîte''" was held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Châlons-en-Champagne.


Nicolas Appert Award

Since 1942, each year the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
section of the
Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...
has awarded the Nicolas Appert Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in
food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that addresses the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of food products. It may also be understood as the science of ensuring that a society is food secure and ha ...
.


Study association

The student association of the Food Technology education at
Wageningen University Wageningen University & Research (also known as WUR) is a public university, public research university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally i ...
is called Nicolas Appert. Since 1962 this association has focused on improving courses related to food technology education and organises several events each year for students and alumni. In 2022 the association celebrated its 12th
lustrum A lūstrum (, plural lūstra) was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome. It is distinct from the homograph ''lustrum'' ( ): a haunt of wild beasts (and figuratively, a den of vice), plural ''lustra'' ( ).Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary (2 ...
.


Notes


References


Sources

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External links


Father of CanningAppert-aina.comStudy association Nicolas Appert
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Appert, Nicolas 1749 births 1841 deaths People from Châlons-en-Champagne 18th-century French inventors French chefs French male chefs Food preservation