A well preserved 100-year-old fruitcake, still wrapped in paper and encased in the remains of a tin, has been found along with other artefacts at Cape Adare in Antarctica. Although the tin was in poor condition, the cake itself looked and smelt (almost) edible, they said. De-acidification of the tin label and some physical repair to the torn paper wrapper and tin label was also carried out. "It is an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions, and is still a favourite item on modern trips to the Ice," Meek added. A team of four conservators have been working in the Canterbury Museum lab in New Zealand on the conservation of Antarctic artefacts from Cape Adare.

Source: dna August 15, 2017 06:22 UTC