Historical story

Invention of pasteurization (1865)


Pasteurization is a process attributed to Louis Pasteur who used it in 1865 to preserve wine by destroying its germs. This process, which allows preservation without changing the composition, flavor or nutritional value of the liquid, was actually developed in 1795 by Nicolas Appert who already applied it to milk, wine and beer.

Nicolas Appert, the precursor of pasteurization

So it's in 1795 that the process was first developed by Nicolas Appert, French inventor who died nearly 100 years old. This man had found a way to can food, by filling glass bottles to the brim and then sealing them tightly. It was then enough to heat them in a bain-marie to give them a longevity hitherto unequalled.

This process was called "Appertisation ". His main interest is to keep the foods thus preserved intact and to preserve their taste qualities. In 1810, he published a work popularizing his method, the Book of all households, or the art of preserving for several years all animal and vegetable substances.

Louis Pasteur:Napoleon, wine and milk

It was, at the request of Napoleon III, while studying wine diseases that disrupted French trade, that Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization in 1863. He observed that the alteration of wine, due to micro-organisms interfering in the winemaking process, is considerably reduced when the liquid is heated to approximately 55°C and is not brought into contact with air.

Bacteria, in particular the bacilli responsible for tuberculosis and brucellosis, two diseases transmitted by the milk of sick cows, are in fact destroyed. Industrial pasteurization is immediately introduced in order to sterilize large quantities of liquids (wine, beer, cider, milk).

In the 20th century, new preservation techniques appeared, such as dehydration, but sterilization by heat remained one of the most used processes, especially since, at the same time, , with the use of aluminium, cans became lighter and easier to open.

To go further

Bibliography

- Nicolas Appert:Inventor and humanist, by Jean-Paul Barbier. Royer, 1994.

- The Lives of Pasteurization:Stories, Knowledge, Actions (1865-2015). Dijon University Editions, 2015.