20 Facts About Nicolas Appert

Nicolas Appert was a French confectioner and inventor who, in the early 19th century, invented airtight food preservation.

Nicolas Appert was born in Chalons-en-Champagne, the ninth of eleven children.

Nicolas Appert's 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.

Nicolas Appert then served as head chef to Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrucken for thirteen years.

Nicolas Appert was a confectioner and chef in Paris from 1784 to 1795.

Nicolas Appert was active during the French Revolution and took part in the execution of King Louis XVI.

Nicolas Appert placed the food in glass jars, sealed them with cork and sealing wax and placed them in boiling water.

Nicolas Appert then established a business to preserve a variety of food in sealed bottles.

Nicolas 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.

Nicolas Appert avoided using tinplate in his early manufacture because the quality of French tinplate was poor.

Nicolas Appert left air space at the top of the bottle, and the cork would then be sealed firmly in the jar by using a vise.

The bottle was then wrapped in canvas to protect it, dunked into boiling water, and boiled for as much time as Nicolas Appert deemed appropriate for cooking the contents thoroughly.

In honor of Nicolas Appert, canning is sometimes called "appertization", which is distinct from pasteurization.

Nicolas Appert declared bankruptcy in 1806, but was able to continue his business.

In 1806 Nicolas Appert presented a selection of bottled fruits and vegetables from his manufacture at the Exposition des produits de l'industrie francaise, but did not win any reward.

Nicolas Appert accepted and published a book describing his process that year.

Nicolas Appert's treatise was entitled L'Art de conserver les substances animales et vegetales, 6,000 copies of which were printed in 1810.

Nicolas Appert's canned goods were widely appreciated, especially by naval services as the products were far superior to the dried and salted provisions they had previously relied on.

Nicolas Appert petitioned Louis Philippe I for entry into the Legion of Honour but was denied, possibly due to his activities during the Revolution.

Since 1942, each year the Chicago section of the Institute of Food Technologists has awarded the Nicolas Appert Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in food technology.