Louis Pasteur

Lived from 1822-1895

Early life

French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in
Dole, located in the Jura region of France. He grew up in the town of Arbois, and his
father, Jean-Joseph Pasteur, was a tanner and a sergeant major decorated with the
Legion of Honor during the Napoleonic Wars. An average student, Pasteur was skilled
at drawing and painting. He earned his bachelor of arts degree (1840) and bachelor of
science degree (1842) at the Royal College of Besancon and a doctorate (1847) from
the École Normal in Paris.

Pasteur then spent several years researching and teaching at Dijon Lycée. In 1848, he
became a professor of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg, where he met Marie
Laurent, the daughter of the university's rector. They wed on May 29, 1849, and had five
children, though only two survived childhood.

Who is Louis Pasteur?

Louis Pasteur came up with the food preparing process known as pasteurization; he
also developed a vaccination for anthrax and rabies.

First Major Contribution in microbiologist

In 1854, Pasteur was appointed professor of chemistry and dean of the science faculty
at the University of Lille. There, he worked on finding solutions to the problems with the
manufacture of alcoholic drinks. Working with the germ theory, which Pasteur did not
invent but further developed through experiments and eventually convinced most of
Europe of its truth, he demonstrated that organisms such as bacteria were responsible
for souring wine, beer and even milk. He then invented a process where bacteria could
be removed by boiling and then cooling liquid. He completed the first test on April 20,
1862. Today the process is known as pasteurization.

Shifting focus, in 1865, Pasteur helped save the silk industry. He proved that microbes
were attacking healthy silkworm eggs, causing an unknown disease, and that the
disease would be eliminated if the microbes were eliminated. He eventually developed a
method to prevent their contamination and it was soon used by silk producers
throughout the world.
Pasteurization

Pasteur readily applied his knowledge of microbes and fermentation to the wine and
beer industries in France, effectively saving the industries from collapse due to
problems associated with production and with contamination that occurred during
export. In 1863, at the request of the emperor of France, Napoleon III, Pasteur
studied wine contamination and showed it to be caused by microbes. To prevent
contamination, Pasteur used a simple procedure: he heated the wine to 50–60 °C (120–
140 °F), a process now known universally as pasteurization. Today pasteurization is
seldom used for wines that benefit from aging, since it kills the organisms that contribute
to the aging process, but it is applied to many foods and beverages, particularly milk.
Following Pasteur’s success with wine, he focused his studies on beer. By developing
practical techniques for the control of beer fermentation, he was able to provide a
rational methodology for the brewing industry. He also devised a method for the
manufacturing of beer that prevented deterioration of the product during long periods of
transport on ships.

Pasteur effect

The realization that specific organisms were involved in fermentation was further
supported by Pasteur’s studies of butyric acid fermentation. These studies led Pasteur
to the unexpected discovery that the fermentation process could be arrested by passing
air (that is, oxygen) through the fermenting fluid, a process known today as the Pasteur
effect. He concluded that this was due to the presence of a life-form that could function
only in the absence of oxygen. This led to his introduction of the
terms aerobic and anaerobic to designate organisms that live in the presence or
absence of oxygen, respectively. He further proposed that the phenomena occurring
during putrefaction were due to specific germs that function under anaerobic conditions.

https://www.biography.com/scientist/louis-pasteur

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Pasteur

https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/louis-pasteur

Reflection:

Louis Pasteur is a big influence in the old, even in the modern time he teaches us to
use Pasteurization to ferment our food and he use his knowledge to do that.