Borden's Award-Winning Meat Biscuit
From: Scientific American 1851 - 1853
27 Sep 1851
Great
Exhibition
A correspondent of the Journal of
Commerce, in reviewing our part of the exhibition, thus refers to the
Meat Biscuit patented by G. Borden, Jr., of Galveston, Texas, the
merits of which we have before noticed in the Scientific American.
"Of the substances used for
food, that which attracted most attention for its novelty and its
adaption to numerous important practical uses in the Meat Biscuit of
Mr. Gail Borden, Jr., of Texas. Its great value was so obvious,
provided it were found to possess the qualities claimed for it, that it
was submitted to very careful and repeated trials by the jury on
'Substances used for Food,' who had it cooked for themselves. Not
content with this, they had analyses of it made in the laboratory of
Dr. Lyon Playfair, the distinguished Commissioner in charge the
Department of Juries, for the purpose of testing its nutritive and
preservative qualities. These analyses were made, of course, without
the intervention in any way of the proprietor, Mr. Borden; I have
obtained for him a certified copy of the letter of Dr. Playfair,
communicating the same to the Jury. From this it appears that the
preservative qualities of the Meat Biscuit are perfect; the fecula or
farinaceous matter being also subjected to careful microscopic
examination, its high nutritive properties are evinced, as the analyses
show 32 per cent. of nitrogenous and flesh-forming materials. The jury
marked their sense of its value by awarding the highest evidence of
their approbation to its inventor. A small canister of it was sent to
Sir John Herschel, who unsolicited, wrote to Mr.B. a letter testifying
to its excellence. Count de Kergolay has deemed it of such merit as to
present it to the Agricultural Society of France, who highly
appreciated it, and appointed one of its scientific Committees to
investigate its Qualities more thoroughly than could be done in general
seance. Among the various preparations of food presented in the
exhibition, no one was deemed worthy of the same high approbation as
the Meat Biscuit. This was the only contribution, I believe from Texas."
Samples of this very nutritive
substance may be seen at the office of John H. Brower & Co. in
this city.
We shall take occasion soon to
express our ideas concerning the causes which have operated against us
during the progress of the fair.
From:
Scientific American, Volume 7, Issue 2, page 11
25 Oct 1851
London
Great Exhibition - First Prizes - Meat Biscuit
The premiums awarded are of two kinds.
Of the first class medals five have been awarded to the following
American citizens
To C. H. McCormick,
Chicago, Ill., for his "Virginia Reaper.”
To David Dick, Meadville, Pennsylvania, for his
“Anti-Friction Press.”
To Charles Goodyear, New Haven, Conn., for his “India Rubber
Fabrics.”
To Bond & Son, Boston, Mass., for an “Electric
Clock.”
To Gail Borden, Jr., Texas, for his ”Meat Biscuit.”
Respecting three of these inventions,
the Scientific American is particularly identified: Dick’s
press was illustrated in our 5th Vol., and McCormick’s Reaper
on page 164, of our last Vol., but at this time we wish to direct
public attention to the Meat Biscuit discovery. One of the gold medals
of highest merit has been awarded to Mr. Gail Borden, Jr., of Texas.
The value of this medal and the
importance attached to the articles to which it has been awarded, may
be estimated from the fact that only five medals of this class were
granted for articles from the United States, and only one hundred and
sixty-nine from all the multitudinous profusion of articles exhibited
from the four quarters of the globe, at the great Fair in London.
The medals awarded by the Council of
Chairmen, to the inventors of the highest practical ability, are of
gold, and are styled council medals.
The other medals awarded agreeably to
the recommendations of the several juries, without being the subject of
discussion in the Council of Chairmen, are of bronze, and styled prize
medals.
The patent for this valuable invention,
we had the pleasure of securing for Mr. Borden, and the opinion which
we have more than once given, respecting its great merits, has been
corroborated by the highest council which ever sat in any nation, to
decide upon the merits of useful discoveries. Mr Borden has taken an
office in this city on the cor. of William St. and Maiden Lane. Not a
ship should sail or a voyager leave our port without being provided
with his incomparable meat biscuit.
From:
Scientific American, Volume 7, Issue 6, page 45.
16 Oct 1852
Fair
of the American Institute
MEAT BISCUIT—Mr. Gail Borden, Jr., exhibits some of his
excellent Meat Biscuit and Beef Lard. This article of food was esteemed
by a Committee at the World's Fair, composed of eminent chemists, one
of the greatest and most beneficial of modern inventions. It was made
the special subject of a lecture, and received a counsel medal. This
American article of food for travellers and sea voyagers is one of the
best discoveries of modern times. One pound of it contains the
nutriment of 8 lbs. of beef, and it will keep sweet and good for a long
time. The beef-lard is an article as beautiful in color as our finest
butter, and for many purposes is better than lard. Our housewives do
not yet know its real value for the purpose of cooking.
From:
Scientific American, Volume 8, Issue 5, page 34.
12 Nov 1853
Crystal
Palace
Meat Biscuit.—No article in the Crystal Palace is of more
importance than the “Patent Meat Biscuit “of Gail
Borden, Jr. It was on exhibition at the World’s Fair in
London, and took one of the first prize medal. So very highly was this
American production esteemed, that the celebrated chemist who was
Chairman of the Jurors declared it was “one of the most
important discoveries of the age. Its value as a compact, portable,
preserved food is of great importance to our country. One pound of it
contains as much nutriment as eight pounds of beef. It can be carried
in canisters from pole to pole without fear of spoiling. It is
exceedingly useful for seamen and travellers, and in this respect it is
more valuable for our
people, who are such great sailors and
travellers, than any other people in the world.
From:
Scientific American, Volume 9, Issue 9, page 70.
The Scientific American periodical was published in New York.
More articles:
Gail Borden - A biography
published in
1866 from A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860...
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.
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.
