5 Simple Inventions That Revolutionised the Food & Beverage Industry

From the advent of the lightbulb to the mass production of mobile phones, there are so many inventions that have come about in the last 200 years that have revolutionised our lives and the world as a whole.

However, most inventions related to the way we store and consume food go unnoticed in our lives, despite the fact we could hardly imagine life without them. In this article, we’ll break down five inventions that revolutionised our kitchens and made the food industry what it is today.

French Inventor Nicolas Appert, also known as the “Father of Canning”, experimented with storing different types of food in glass bottles in the early 19th century. In 1810, Appert’s work of enclosing food in bottles, corking them and putting the bottles in boiling water was officially recognised. By the 1820s, preserved foods in tinned cans became available in the United States.

Canning changed the way we preserve and transport food, making items like vegetables, soups, and even more unconventional products like cheese from a can available year-round. While not every canned product became a gourmet hit, the ability to preserve food for longer periods revolutionised the industry.

The invention of canning meant people could carry food for longer and transport it without constant worry about the flavour, expiration or finding a stable food source when times were tough. It came in handy, particularly during wars such as the First World War which saw boosts in demand for canned foods such as tinned fish that were easy to produce, transport and store in the trenches.

The way we store and preserve food has always been an important part of civilisation. Before the invention of refrigeration revolutionised our ability to store and transport perishable food products, ancient civilisations used natural cooling methods such as storing food directly in the cold water of rivers and lakes.

The first time artificial refrigeration was demonstrated was in 1748 by William Cullen at the University of Glasgow. Cullen, who was a physician, not an inventor, created artificial refrigeration during his process of testing how evaporative cooling affects the human body. The first refrigeration machine, however, was designed by American inventor Oliver Evans, and in 1844, John Gurrie constructed a machine similar to Evans’ design.

The way refrigeration works is by removing heat from an enclosed space. Primarily used for storing food products, refrigeration helps slow down the development of mould and bacteria, keeping food fresh and safe to eat for longer.

Pasteurisation is a process of food preservation that involves heating certain foods and liquids, most often dairy or other beverages, to a specific temperature to kill certain harmful bacteria and microbes that can be found in the raw products. This heat treatment process, known as pasteurisation, was named after its inventor, Louis Pasteur. 

In 1863, the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, asked Pasteur to study wine contamination, which Pasteur found to be caused by microbes. Pasteur heated the wine to 50-60 degrees Celsius to prevent contamination - a process now called pasteurisation. As this process kills the organisms that contribute to the ageing process, it was applied to food and beverages to reduce spoilage and eliminate potential pathogens.

The process of plastic packaging rose in popularity in the 1950s and is still extremely common today. However, the first plastic was invented in 1862 by Englishman Alexander Parkes, who called this hardened form of Nitrocellulose “Parkesine”. Unfortunately, the name did not stick like pasteurisation and Parkes didn’t see commercial success. The extended history of plastic after Parkes is long, with multiple different prototypes all resembling the plastic that we know now being tried and discarded for newer models like PVC and cellophane. 

From packaged groceries and pre-packed lunches to plastic water bottles and bags, plastic packaging is almost everywhere and has transformed food storage and made transporting it more convenient. Known for its versatility and durability, plastic packaging ensures food is securely protected and contained whether it's being transported or thrown into a shopping trolley. Because plastic packaging creates an airtight environment, it’s also able to help keep food fresh for longer.

Coffee pods are still a relatively new method of making coffee, at least in comparison to the other revolutionary inventions on this list. While they were rather slow to take off initially, they are now one of the most purchased coffee products globally and have undoubtedly revolutionised coffee culture by making it more convenient and accessible to the everyday coffee drinker.

Coffee pods are single-use capsules that contain a pre-measured amount of ground coffee. When popped into a coffee machine, the pod is pierced, heated water is passed through it and then poured into your cup. By compressing ground coffee  into a pod and sealing it into individual serving packages, we’re able to make and enjoy a barista-quality coffee or a shot of espresso at home or in the office in no time and with little effort.

The way we cook, store, transport and enjoy food has certainly come a long way since ancient times and there’s no doubt these five inventions revolutionised the food world and have made our lives today easier.