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Spoilage in canned food products
Colorado State University Extension ^ | 2008 | Stephanie Hoffman

Posted on 08/01/2013 5:31:14 PM PDT by djf

SPOILAGE IN CANNED FOOD PRODUCTS

By: Stephanie Hoffman, CSU Food Science Graduate Student - Fall 2008

The safety of commercially canned foods is generally not of concern to consumers, but recent national recalls of canned chili products and institutional-size cans of vegetables due to potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum is a reminder that store-bought canned goods can be implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks. These were the first recalls of commercially canned foods in the U.S. linked to botulism in 33 years and improper processing that allowed the survival of C. botulinum spores appears to have been the cause. Home canners and commercial manufacturers both rely on time-tested processes to insure the inactivation of this deadly microorganism. Proper cooking temperatures, times and pressure, along with well-maintained equipment are all necessary to prevent the survival of C. botulinum.

How can consumers help protect themselves? One important way is to look for signs of spoilage and to immediately discard any canned foods that are suspected of being spoiled.

Here are the terms used in the industry to describe canned foods with signs of spoilage:

Soft Swell: A can that is bulged on both ends, but not so tightly that the ends can't be pushed in somewhat with a thumb press.

Hard Swell: A can that is so tightly bulged on both ends that the ends can't be pressed in. A can with a hard swell will generally "buckle" before it bursts.

Flipper: A can whose end normally looks flat, but "flips out" when struck sharply on one end.

Springer: A can with one end bulged out. With sufficient pressure, this end will flip in, but the other end will flip out.

Leaker: A can with a crack or hole in the container that has caused leakage.

Flipper and Springer cans do not always indicate microbial spoilage, but are often an indication of contamination. Soft swells, hard swells and leakers usually do represent microbial spoilage but can sometimes be caused by chemical reactions. As always, do not purchase or consume canned food products that are bulging or have packaging that appears compromised in any way. It's always better to be safe than sorry!


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: cannedgoods; fda; foodsupply; preppers
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I was in my storage area and noticed an odor, tracked it down to a can of spaghetti sauce that had sprung a leak. It wasn't bulging or explosive, and didn't erupt when I opened it, no off smells, but I pitched it anyways. I reviewed a bunch of the other cans, none were leaking, but on a few, the top could be pushed in a bit. So I did a bit of searching to get a better idea about cans and their conditions, figure Prepper FReepers would find it interesting.

I have had a couple cans go bad in the past, and there is/was zero doubt that they were unsafe. Bulging to the point of being explosive, bad odor when opened (a few I simply buried whole).

1 posted on 08/01/2013 5:31:14 PM PDT by djf
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To: Kartographer

prepper ping!


2 posted on 08/01/2013 5:36:08 PM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: djf

You cannot be too careful!


3 posted on 08/01/2013 5:37:05 PM PDT by Silentgypsy (You don't like the way I drive? Stay off the sidewalk.)
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To: djf

I’ve had pretty good luck so far. Some cans I missed on rotation that were 6 years old. Still good. I have seen some swell in tomato sauce after 5 years.


4 posted on 08/01/2013 5:37:39 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: djf

I quit storing tomato based products for longer periods. Too acidy. Just won’t keep.


5 posted on 08/01/2013 5:38:20 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s.....you weren't really there)
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To: Silentgypsy

and sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind


6 posted on 08/01/2013 5:38:39 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: bigheadfred

6 months should be a safe rotation. 3 months better.


7 posted on 08/01/2013 5:43:31 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: djf

I wonder if canned food would last longer if it was irradiated


8 posted on 08/01/2013 5:43:52 PM PDT by GraceG
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To: BenLurkin

Right. But the point being many things last well beyond their best if used by date.


9 posted on 08/01/2013 5:45:31 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: bigheadfred

A year or so ago, I used a can of tomato sauce that was about 5 years old.

There was a noticeable “shrinkage” of the product, it was about 3/4 of an inch down from the rim. I take that to mean that even in professionally canned products, they cannot practically seal it against a bit of water loss.

Results?

Smelled fine, cooked up fine, angel hair pasta and garlic bread, some olives, it was a feast!

I was always under the impression that tomato products were, in general, too acid to have botulism.
But acidity by itself is not enough of an indicator. I had a can of mandarin oranges start to swell, so those got pitched.

Of course not all food contamination is necessarily botulism.


10 posted on 08/01/2013 5:46:11 PM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: djf

The problem with botulism is it doesn’t smell bad or taste bad, and cooking won’t neutralize the poison it produces.

I worked for a major hotel chain and it was a firing offense to buy mushrooms canned in China. Those are the most likely to have botulism.... both because the mushrooms are not acid, and because the chinese don’t have the same standards we have for canning.


11 posted on 08/01/2013 5:46:14 PM PDT by Grammy (He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that they cannot carry out their plans. Job 5:12)
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To: GraceG

It would. But they would have to bury you 12 feet deep to somewhat dim your inner glow...

Just kidding. They have been doing it for years.


12 posted on 08/01/2013 5:48:00 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: djf

So basically, if the can looks or acts like A. Weiner, throw it away.


13 posted on 08/01/2013 5:50:22 PM PDT by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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To: djf

Right. I pitch anything that doesn’t look right. I just made 12 pints of nanking cherry jelly and 8 quarts of syrup.


14 posted on 08/01/2013 5:52:44 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INFIDEL)
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To: djf

A few years ago I had several cans that showed bulging. Strangely, one was large can of sliced apples and another was a can of apple pie filling.

I toss any bulging cans.


15 posted on 08/01/2013 5:53:57 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: djf

A couple of days ago I was making a cheeseburger and for some reason got a whiff of the Kraft Mayonnaise. It had just a bit of spoiled smell. Not that bad but just enough I was suspicious.

I looked at the use by date and it was a few months past it. That really surprised me as my refrigerator is right about 34 degrees. As luck would have it, I had just bought another jar as this one was getting towards empty.

I looked at the date on the new one and it was only good for about 7 more months. I will have to start checking closer.


16 posted on 08/01/2013 5:56:07 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8: verses 38 and 39. "For I am persuaded".)
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To: djf

Watch out buttulinum - bad meat in the can.


17 posted on 08/01/2013 5:58:37 PM PDT by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
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To: yarddog

Food in the fridge is generally safe - but not always.

Most bacteria go into almost a suspended animation at that temp, if not just outright croak.

Listeria isn’t one of those! Listeria is happy as a clam at temps of 40 degrees or less!

AFAIK, listeria is almost never fatal. But it might make you wish U wur dead!


18 posted on 08/01/2013 6:01:33 PM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: Grammy
The problem with botulism is it doesn’t smell bad or taste bad, and cooking won’t neutralize the poison it produces.

Boiling for 10 minutes will inactivate the botulin toxin. At higher elevations, I would use a pressure cooker to make sure the heat is sufficient to kill the toxin.

Home canned non-acidic foods (like beans or meat) should *always* be cooked as if they are contaminated with C. botulinum.

19 posted on 08/01/2013 6:03:52 PM PDT by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
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To: djf
Flippers, springers, swellers, leakers and hard swellers in stored cans...brings back memories of inspecting warehouses of K Rations stored before the Korean War that were in military warehouses. Inspecting those rations was like opening a time capsule. The cigarettes were the old Camel and Lucky Strikes and were in the packet with the P-38s. We inspected lot after lot according to the statistical methods and had a pile of cans, cigarettes and gum over ten feet high. This was in the middle 1970’s. Surprisingly, most of the rations were still wholesome.
20 posted on 08/01/2013 6:10:23 PM PDT by vetvetdoug
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