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Nicolas Appert---French
originator of a method of canning Nicolas
Appert , also known as Franois Appert , 1750-1841, French originator of a method
of canning . In 1795 the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs for
a method of preserving food, especially for use by the army and navy. Appert,
already an experienced chef, began to experiment in his workshop at Massy, near
Paris, and in 1810 was awarded the prize for his method. The method, based on
the idea that heat destroys or neutralizes the ferments that cause food spoilage,
involved cooking foods in corked jars. Appert published several editions of his
results ( The Art of Preserving, tr. 1920) and with his prize money opened the
first commercial cannery in the world. From:
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2007 
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