A History of Refrigeration – How Refrigeration Has Evolved Over Time! – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Prior to the 1800’s people used age old methods for preserving their food; spicing, salting, pickling, drying, and smoking were all commonplace. This was reflected in people’s diets. There wasn’t much fresh food consumed, people mostly subsisted on bread, cheese and salted meats.

19th Century

Early in the 19th century, people began buying and selling ice in order to cool their food and beverages. Ice began to be shipped to warmer parts of the world as shipment methods improved. By the end of the century, refrigeration had become commercialized. Ice was still the main method of refrigeration. Contamination quickly became an issue, however. During storage or shipment ice could come in contact with numerous contaminated surfaces.

20th Century

In the beginning of the 20th century a German engineer named Carl Von Linde invented a process to produce liquid air, and eventually liquid oxygen on a large scale, for the purpose of household refrigerators. Ammonia-cycle commercial refrigeration was also introduced at this time. Artificial refrigeration was common by 1914. It became possible to ship refrigerated items by rail, thus increasing the different products available to common people. By the middle of the century, trucks and trailers could transport refrigerated items.

Safety Issues

Refrigeration had some safety issues. Refrigerants like methyl chloride and sulfur dioxide could cause illness and even death if they leaked on someone. Ammonia was equally toxic.

By the middle of the 20th century, a safer group of chemicals was discovered to refrigerate with called chlorofluorocarbons. Safer and more affordable refrigeration opened up new gateways in business for new types of food storage, packaging and presentation.

The meatpacking, ice, and brewing industries benefited from new refrigeration technology, but they were not the only ones. Florists, metal workers, paper manufacturers and even morticians profited from the technology as well.

In 1973, Prof. James Lovelock reported finding very small amounts of chlorofluorocarbons in the earth’s atmosphere. The next year, Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina predicted that CFCs were going to reach the high stratosphere and damage the ozone layer. In 1985 the hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic had been discovered and by Rowland and Molina’s prediction was proven accurate.

In order to prevent further damage new technologies in refrigeration have been developed. Hydroflourocarbons, for example, have no known effect on the ozone layer. Currently, CFCs are no longer used, and even outlawed in many places. Refrigeration is safer and more convenient than it ever has been.