Agricultural Research

During the early nineteenth century, Europeans were in the vanguard of agricultural research. For instance, a number of German scientists, such as Justus von Liebig (1803–1873), were at the forefront of food-related research. Liebig discovered that living tissue consisted of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Although this division would later prove incomplete, it was a revolutionary concept at the time. Beginning in 1844, Liebig published several articles and books; one of the most important was Researches on the Chemistry of Food, which was translated and published in English in 1847. Von Liebig’s work launched the fertilizer-manufacturing industry as well as the field of animal nutrition.