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!
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!
Fungi love the cool temperatures of a refrigerator. So do many bacterial species.
Listeria has a case fatality rate of about 20%, and causes fetal death. Typically, people who get listeriosis are immunocompromised because of age (very young or old), pregnancy, or other medical conditions. The CDC just ran an article about listeriosis a few weeks ago.
The only case of botulism in my area that I can remember in the last twenty years was the case of an area woman who had made her own canned or glassed preserves. She opened one of her jars of carrots and tasted it. She became extremely ill and almost died. After reading about that incident, I’m careful about accepting homemade canned goods.
In the last couple of years I am having to change what I used to post about canned food, I am running into many issues, including a bunch of low sodium Spam cans that bulged well before the expiration date, Spam is supposed to last indefinitely.
I even have a bulging Tuna can from 2004, and other products like canned peppers.
In ‘65 and 66 I’ve probably ate a few cases of C-Rats from the 50’s and late 40’s. Never got sick from them and they did fill the hole.
Preppers’ PING!!
Hat tip to djf for the heads-up!
Thanks.
The article is actually wrong, in that there was a recall IIRC 2006-2007 for some kind of canned cheese sauce or chile... something like that. But I do remember that it was botulism.
I try to avoid any and all foods from China, not only for me, but for my dogs.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much control over restaurants . . .
is your storage area hot?
Yes, that is what changed what I was learning about canned foods over the last two decades, on the coast nothing spoiled, here, much has.
“a few I simply buried whole”
And a few centuries from now, an archaelogist will dig them up and conclude that the American civilization declined from eating botulism-ridden canned goods.
Maybe the low sodium is a contributing factor? Most bacterium don’t like salt one bit.
Coming from a country background with a Lot of home canning in glass jars, there are stories of finding stashes of canned (jars, not cans) goods fifteen and twenty years old that have been perfectly preserved. Not recommended, of course, but I never think anything about opening a can of green beens three years old that was home processed. It’s a simple enough procedure and is a satisfying hobby!
The Spam went so quickly that it must have been a plant foul up, it was well within it’s best by date.
I too, couldn’t help but notice that it was low sodium.
My bacon Spam is just fine.
My mom and I both can jam the same way: Cook it, jar it, tip the jars over for a few minutes, tip them back up, and voila! We don’t even put them in a water bath canner. I’ve never had a jar of jam spoil. Everything else gets the proper treatment though. The only home canned food I’ve had spoil is jalapeño jelly (which I water bathed), and I think it’s from the liquid pectin. I’m not a fan of liquid pectin.
Well, salt has been used for centuries as a preservative - especially for meats.
My old man used to buy this salted fish. The salt was OK... the bones, not so much!
Of course, when it’s 5 below and you are out ice fishing, yur easy to please!
;-)
My can has been bulging since I turned 50...
When Mom and Dad moved back to the family homestead in 1995, they found several cans of stuff Grandma had “put up” still in the basement. Grandma died in 1948. Of course, Mom threw out everything, but emptied the jars so they could be sterilized and reused. She said that the contents still looked and smelled fine.
About two weeks ago, I opened a lower cabinet door in the kitchen, this little storage space is very small. The minute I opened it, a quart glass container with a glass handle, fell out and hit the stone floor and glass went everywhere. I nearly cried - I had two of those glass quart containers and they are perfect for making instant milk and keeping it in that container with the glass handle. They have a rubber stopper and I've had those for years.
I went on Amazon to look for another one. Sure, found one, and it's well over $25. Couldn't believe it, I certainly didn't pay that those years ago. I didn't buy it. I looked at plastic containers and didn't want any of that.
At some point, I realized, except for the other glass quarter container I had, I had no quart containers. I looked on Walmart, and 12 - quart glass canning jars with lids was $10. The next time I was in Walmart, I got that box of glass quart jars. They don't have a glass handle, of course, but they are glass quart containers, 12 of them for $10.
Sometimes, you suddenly realize there is something you don't have that would be necessary or very good to have in a SHTF situation. Containers is one of them.
I suspect the cans are bulging is because they are made very flimsy these days. Cans are so thin you can bend them with just your thumb. I check cans for dents at the store and put them in the car myself so I know they’re not being thrown around. However, when I get home, a few are dented badly every time. So badly that I have to use them immediately. Those who are stocking foods long term should rotate more often because of this.
I also worry about those items sealed with just a piece of foil such as yogurt, fruit and pet food. Those are too easily compromised. Makes you wonder if the manufacturers are adding a boatload more preservatives to make them seem safe.
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