When food manufacturing is introduced to the world?
Food processing or manufacturing dates back to the prehistoric ages when crude processing incorporated fermenting, sun drying, preserving with salt, and various types of cooking (such as roasting, smoking, steaming, and oven baking)
Such basic food processing involved chemical enzymatic changes to the basic structure of food in its natural form, as well served to build a barrier against surface microbial activity that caused rapid decay
Salt-preservation was especially common for foods that constituted warrior and sailors' diets until the introduction of canning methods
Evidence for the existence of these methods can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek, Chaldean, Egyptian and Roman civilizations as well as archaeological evidence from Europe, North and South America and Asia
These tried and tested processing techniques remained essentially the same until the advent of the industrial revolution
Examples of ready-meals also date back to before the preindustrial revolution and include dishes such as Cornish pasty
Both during ancient times and today in modern society these are considered processed foods
Modern food processing technology developed in the 19th and 20th centuries was developed in a large part to serve military needs
In 1809, Nicolas Appert invented a hermetic bottling technique that would preserve food for French troops which ultimately contributed to the development of tinning, and subsequently canning by Peter Durand in 1810
Although initially expensive and somewhat hazardous due to the lead used in cans, canned goods would later become a staple around the world
Pasteurization, discovered by Louis Pasteur in 1864, improved the quality and safety of preserved foods and introduced the wine, beer, and milk preservation.
A form of pre-made split-pea soup that has become traditional
In the 20th century, World War II, the space race and the rising consumer society in developed countries contributed to the growth of food processing with such advances as spray drying, freeze drying, evaporation, juice concentrates and the introduction of artificial sweeteners, colouring agents, and such preservatives as sodium benzoate
In the late 20th century, products such as dried instant soups, reconstituted fruits and juices, and self cooking meals such as MRE food ration were developed
By the 20th century, automatic appliances like microwave oven, blender, and rotimatic paved way for convenience cooking
In western Europe and North America, the second half of the 20th century witnessed a rise in the pursuit of convenience
Frozen foods (often credited to Clarence Birdseye) found their success in sales of juice concentrates and "TV dinners"
Processors utilised the perceived value of time to appeal to the postwar population, and this same appeal contributes to the success of convenience foods today