Products
Liebig's meat extract is a molasses-like black spread packaged in an opaque white glass bottle, which contains reduced meat stock and salt (4%).[10] The ratio of meat to meat extract is generally reported to be about 30 to 1: it takes 30 kg of meat to make 1 kg of extract.[1] The extract was originally promoted for its supposed curative powers and nutritional value as a cheap, nutritious alternative to real meat.[1] However (wrote Mark R. Finlay), beginning in mid-1865"the assumption that Liebig's Extract of Meat was extremely nutrituous came under heavy attack. Dozens of articles and analyses were published on the issue... In fact, most studies proved that Liebig's meat extract contained virtually no trace of fats, gelatines and proteins; in brief, it lacked the very basis of meat's nutritive value. Most experts soon agreed that meat extract 'must be placed exceedingly low in the scale of direct or absolute nutrients'.[11]" A German physiologist found that dogs died if fed exclusively on extract of meat.[11] As research brought its nutritional value into question, its convenience and flavourfulness were emphasized, and it was marketed as a comfort food.[1] Liebig and his supporters admitted the extract contained virtually no fats and proteins, but said the purpose of the process was to extract flavour. In a change of marketing strategy, it was promoted as a stimulant.[11]
The product enjoyed immense popularity and became a staple in middle-class European households. By the late 1860s, St. Thomas's Hospital in London reportedly used 12,000 pots per year of the easily digestible substance.[1][12] By 1875, 500 tonnes of the extract were being produced at the Fray Bentos plant each year.[13] It was recommended for soldiers during the American Civil War for its shelf stability, ease of transport, and ease of use.[14] It was still used by the Allied forces in World War II.[15] Welsh adventurer Sir Henry Morton Stanley valued it on his trip to Africa.[16] It is still sold by Liebig Benelux.
In 1873, Liebig's began producing tinned corned beef, which it sold under the label Fray Bentos.[13] "Fray Bentos" was trademarked by Liebig in 1881 to market "Fray Bentos Compressed Cooked Corned Beef".[17] With the introduction of freezer units, the company was eventually able to produce and export frozen and chilled raw meat as well. The amount of food processed and shipped around the world caused the town of Fray Bentos to be called "The Kitchen of the World".[15]
Fray Bentos canned meats, now owned by Baxters, are still sold in Europe.[18][19][20] The brand also offers meat pies, which have been manufactured since 1958.[21]
The British tonic wine Wincarnis originally contained Liebig's meat extract and was initially called Liebig's Extract of Meat and Malt Wine.[22] Beaufoy & Co of Lambeth also produced a meat and malt tonic wine (with quinine) using Liebig's meat extract.[23]
The company also worked with English chemist Henry Enfield Roscoe to develop a cheaper meat extract product which it commercialized some years after Liebig's death. "Oxo" was registered as a trade mark in many countries. Originally a liquid, Oxo was released as a bouillon cube in 1911.[7]
Liebig also produced a line of biological products under the Oxoid name (starting in 1924), in particular glandular extracts and later dehydrated culture media.[24]
