What did Nicolas Appert mistakenly believe was the cause of food spoilage?
Answer
Air
Despite achieving empirical success in preserving food via heat treatment, Appert operated without modern microbiological knowledge. He hypothesized that the spoilage agents were related to the ambient environment he was trying to exclude. Specifically, he focused intensely on achieving a perfect seal because he incorrectly attributed the decay process to the presence of 'bad air' entering the container, thus making the exclusion of air his primary practical goal in sealing the bottles.
#Videos
Nicolas Appert and the Invention of Canning - YouTube
Related Questions
What was Nicolas Appert's primary profession before developing food preservation?What specific financial incentive did Napoleon Bonaparte offer for a reliable food preservation method?What specific type of vessel was central to Nicolas Appert's original canning process?What did Nicolas Appert mistakenly believe was the cause of food spoilage?How did Peter Durand modify Appert's preservation principle in 1810?What scientific breakthrough, related to germ theory, was developed about fifty years after Appert's success?What was the critical step in Appert's thermal processing applied to sealed bottles?What was the title of the instructional pamphlet Appert published in 1810?What was the primary disadvantage of Appert's initial use of glass bottles for military logistics?What was the name given to the preservation technique invented by Nicolas Appert?