Biography from A
History of American Manufactures... (1866)
Born: 9 Nov 1801 Died: 11 Jan 1874
Gail Borden of New York,
formerly of Galveston, Texas, is an eminent inventor, who has extended
his explorations into fields comparatively untrod by others. His name
came prominently before the public by his invention, in 1850, of a Meat
Biscuit, containing in the smallest possible bulk all the nutritive
properties of the beef or other meat used in its manufacture. The means
by which he accomplished this consisted in combining a concentrated
extract of meat with the finest flour, and thoroughly desiccating the
mixture. Beef, freshly slaughtered, was boiled for a protracted time in
a quantity of water, and, after the careful removal of all fat, the
broth, separated from the meat, was evaporated by steam heat to a
uniform density. This extract, resembling syrup, was then kneaded with
the best flour, cut into biscuits, which were subjected to moderate
heat in an oven, and then ground into a powder for convenience in
packing and use.
The Meat Biscuit reached the
careful study of many eminent scientific men in this country and in
Europe. Professor Playfair, after a prolonged examination, pronounced
it an excellent article, retaining unimpaired the nutritive properties
of its constituents. Dr. Solly used even more lauditory language. The
report, accompanying the award of a Council medal at the Great
Exhibition in London in 1851, says: "A more simple, economical, and
efficient form of portable concentrated food than the American Meat
Biscuit has never been brought before the public."
Mr. Borden, however,
entertained the idea that the extract might be perfectly preserved
without the agency of the flour used in desiccation, and, after
experiments for several years, in which he has been assisted by Mr. J.
H. Currie, and Mr. S. L. Goodale, he perfected a process by which the
pure broth, previously alluded to, is reduced to a solid form.
The extract, as at present
made, is a nut-brown substance of the consistency of caoutchouc,
readily dissolved in hot water, forming a broth possessing the flavor
of delicately roasted meat. The points in the process, which the
inventor considers are of cardinal importance, are, 1st. Care in the
selection of the beef. 2d. Great promptness in commencing the treatment
after slaughter. 3d. Immediate and thorough exhaustion of the meat.
By the use of the vacuum pan
the liquid extract is evaporated at a low degree of temperature. A
product which is so useful wherever an easily portable aliment is
desired, has met with marked favor. Physicians employ it in the
sick-room, as a ready means of making beef tea of definite strength, so
that they can now prescribe this supporting agent with as much
certainty of having a good article made as they have in regard to their
ordinary drug prescriptions. The value of this extract in long
journeys, by land or sea, is obvious, and its general use by explorers
and tourists is not a matter of conjecture. As a means of so perfectly
preserving the beef of the great producing districts of the West and
Southwest, that the expense of transportation to the consuming cities
is reduced to a minimum, this process becomes of national importance,
and deservedly takes high rank among the valuable inventions of the
century.
While prosecuting his
investigations in regard to the preservation of Meat, Mr. Borden became
convinced that Milk could, by some process, be materially reduced in
bulk, and preserved for any desirable length of time.
Gail
Borden used this copper vacuum condenser for his first successful milk
experiment.
Several preparations of milk
had already been presented by scientific men to the public of France,
England, and America, but the disproportion between their price and
that of new milk prevented their general introduction and use.
Moreover, many of these preparations contained foreign substances,
designed to resemble those solid constituents of milk of which they bad
been deprived in the process of manufacture, but these artificial
substitutes fell far short of the caseine, oil, and salts of new milk
in nutritive value.
The successful method adopted
by Mr. Borden, after a long series of experiments upon a large scale,
was substantially as follows: The milk is brought by the dairyman
immediately after milking to the factory, where it is subjected to a
heating process preparatory to its evaporation in vacuo. It is then
strained and drawn into the vacuum pan, and reduced to its required
density by the abstraction of about seventy-five per cent of the water.
That which is to be carried at once to the city is called plain
condensed milk, end resembles a very tenacious syrup. That which is to
be placed in cans is mixed intimately in the process with the best
white sugar and hermetically sealed. This is known as Preserved Milk,
and will keep in perfect order for a great length of time, readily
dissolving in water after the lapse of years. This vacuum process,
which had never before been carried out, obviates any practical
difficulties that had discouraged those who had previously endeavored
to condense or solidify milk.
The high appreciation in which
this article is held by physicians led to its immediate introduction
into families in our large cities, and prepared the way for its very
general use on voyages. During our late civil war, Mr. Borden's Milk
was very extensively employed in the Army and Navy, and the concurrent
testimony of soldiers and officers, of those who used it as a luxury
and of those who used it in the hospitals, is of the most highly
commendatory character.
The New Condensed Milk Co. was established in
1857 (source)
Several manufactories of this
condensed Milk are now in operation in various parts of the country,
the first having been located in Litchfield county, Connecticut. In
1860, more extensive Works were erected on the Harlem Road, Dutchess
Co., New York, where three vacuum pans are employed, capable of working
five thousand gallons of milk per day. The next important factory is at
Brewsters, South-east, Putnam Co., with a large vacuum pan in which
five thousand gallons of milk can be condensed in a day. Mr. Borden is
also connected with a factory of a capacity of two thousand gallons, at
Livermore Falls, Maine, and one of the same size at Elgin, Kane Co., on
the Fox river, Illinois. Connected with the latter is a factory for the
manufacture of the extract of Beef.
Simultaneously with his
experiments in the condensation of Milk, Mr. Borden undertook the
preparation of a decoction of Coffee in such a manner as to preserve
the fine aroma of the roasted berry. The extract prepared by him
contains condensed milk and pure sugar, and is easily soluble in hot
water.
He also patented a process for
the preservation of the juices of fruits, as apples, currants, and
grapes, by which they may be reduced to one seventh of their original
bulk, and are not then subjected to fermentation unless dissolved in
water. The date of this patent is 22d of July, 1862.
The great success which has
crowned the studios of Mr. Borden in the preservation of Food, may be
attributed to the fact that he was one of the first to appreciate the
importance of taking measures to prevent incipient decomposition or
fermentation.
The full developments of the principles
adopted by him in the manufacture of these new articles of commerce,
has enabled him to preserve in their freshness and richness the most
valuable nutritive liquids, and in such perfect manner as to cause
tourists and explorers to consider them among the indispensable
necessaries of their journeys, rather than mere luxuries. The value of
these products is so highly appreciated that they are being very
extensively employed for culinary purposes in families and hotels.
The text above is an extract from the book A History of
American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860 exhibiting the origin and
growth of the principal mechanic arts and manufactures, from the
earliest colonial period to the adoption of the Constitution, and
comprising annals of industry of the United States in machinery,
manufactures and useful arts, with a notice of important inventions,
tariffs and the results of each decennial census by John
Leander
Bishop, Edwin T Freedley and Edward Young (1866). The graphics are from
other sources as labelled.
More articles:
Borden's meat biscuit was his first invention, which preserved meat extracts and drew much praise in several articles in the Scientific American periodical.
Borden's meat biscuit patent was titled "Preparation of Portable Soup-Bread," issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,066 on 5 Feb 1850.
Military use of the meat biscuit was also recognized as highly suitable for meal rations, and was favorably compared in the Scientific American periodical against the difficulties experienced by other countries having to preserve meats for their military needs.
Awards were presented
for Borden's meat biscuit at exhibitions both home and abroad. In
England, at the London Great Exhibition, first class medals recognized
Borden's invention, in the company of other American winners such as
C.H. McCormick for his "Virginia Reaper,” and Charles Goodyear
for his “India Rubber
Fabrics.”
Borden's condensed milk was his next great invention,
which launched his very successful diary company supplying his Eagle
brand milk to cities distant from farm supply, and was also recorded in
several Scientific American articles.
The condensed milk patent gives Borden's description
of his method in U.S. Patent No. 15,553 issued 19 Aug 1856 - the first
effective commercial process in the U.S. for condensing and
preserving milk.
Borden's fruit juice concentrating patent shows his continuing interest
in preserving more types of food detailed in U.S. Patent 35,919, issued
22 July 1862, titled "Improvement in Concentrating and Preserving For
Use Cider and Other Juices of Fruits."
Competitors joined the market as shown in this Manufacturer and Builder article from 1878.
A quotation - the epitaph
from Gail Borden's gravestone.
