Causes of spoilage of canned foods

Spoilage of canned products may be due to two

reasons:
(A) Physical and chemical changes, and
(B) Microorganisms.
 Spoilage due to physical and
chemical changes
(1)Swell:
• When the ends of an apparently normal
and perfect can with good vacuum become
bulged it is termed as 'Swell' or 'Blower'.
• The bulge is due to the positive internal
pressure of gases formed by microbial or
chemical action.
Hydrogen swell:
• This type of bulging is due to the hydrogen
gas produced by the action of food acids on
the metal of the can.
• The bulging ranges from 'Flipping‘ to the
'Hard Swell'.
• The food generally remains free of harmful
microorganisms and is fit for consumption
• Flipper: The can appears normal, but when
struck against a table top one or both ends
become convex and springs or flips out, but
can be pushed back to normal condition by a
little pressure.
• Such a can is termed as "flipper" and may be
an initial stage of swell or hydrogen swell.
• It may also be caused by overfilling, under-
exhausting or gas pressure due to spoilage.
• Springer: A mild swell at one or both ends of a
can is called a 'springer' which may be an
initial' stage of hydrogen swell or be due to
insufficient exhausting or overfilling of the
can.
• The bulged ends (or at least one end) can be
pressed back to the original position, but will
again become convex after some time.
• Soft swell: At a more advanced stage, swell
develops at both ends of the can which can be
pressed and returned to normal position, but
springs back when the pressure is removed.
•
• A swell of this type is termed as "soft swell"
and is more or less similar to that of flipper.
• Hard swell: This is the final stage of swell.
The bulged ends cannot be pressed back to
normal position and the cans ultimately burst.
Metal can Spoilage
The following precautions are necessary to
prevent the formation of hydrogen swells:
(a) Good quality tin plate should be used for making
the cans.
• The quality is related to the porosity of the tin
coating. The greater the porosity, the greater is the
possibility of corrosion of the can. The porosity
can, however, be decreased by increasing the
thickness of the coating and making it more
uniform.
• Plain cans are less susceptible to hydrogen swell
formation than lacquered cans.
(b) About '0.5 per cent citric acid should be added to
the syrup used for canning fruits of low acidity
such as cherry, mango, papaya, etc.
– Citric acid checks the formation of hydrogen swell
to a great extent.
(c) Before placing the lid a head space of 0.6 to 0.9
cm should be left in the can which is to be
exhausted.
(d) The lid should be placed firmly or clinched
before exhausting to ensure a high vacuum in the
can.
(e) Cans should be exhausted for a fairly long time, but
without affecting the quantity of the product unduly.
– The larger the quantity of oxygen remaining in the can, the
greater would be the corrosion because oxygen combines
with the nascent hydrogen formed by the action of acid on
the tin container.
– In the absence of air, the rate of corrosion is low. Oxygen
can be excluded from the can by filling it properly and
exhausting it thoroughly.
(f) The sealing temperature should not be below 74°C.
(g) At high storage temperature hydrogen formation will
be more.
 Physical changes
• Overfilling
• Faulty retort operation
• Under exhausting
• Panelling
• Rust
• Foreign flavours
• Damage
• Undesirable texture
• Corrosion of cans
• Leakage
• Breathing
• Bursting
• Buckling
• Discoloration
• Stack burning
 Spoilage by physical changes
1) Over filling: Common problem
•During retorting overfill can become strain due to
expansion of contents & absence of vacuum in them,

•Swelling takes place.

•Overfilling of cans at low temperature may cause

permanent bulging to cans by heating
2) Panelling:
•Seen in large sized cans

•Body is pushed inwards due to high vacuum inside

•It also occurs when the tin plate is thin or the cans are
pressure cooled at very high temperature
3) Rust Formation:
•Cans having rust is thoroughly examined.

•After removing rust the walls show a pitted

appearance.

•Should be rejected as spoiled.

•Seen mostly under the label

4) Leaker: A very small leak appear in the can
due to:
•Faulty seal

•Faulty lock seal

•Pinholes – as a result of corrosion from inside

or rusting of the can from outside
• 5) Breather: tiny leak in the can through
which air may pass in but not the
microorganisms.

• The vacuum inside the can is nil & the pressure is

equal to the atmospheric pressure.

• Food remains fit for consumption

• Damage to food is usually owing to rusting of the can

caused by oxygen in air passing in through tiny leak.
• 6) Bursting of can:
• due to excess of pressure caused by the gases inside

• Produced by decomposition of food by

• microorganisms or by hydrogen gas formation by the

chemical action of acids of the food on tin plate.

• The product become a total loss

• 7) Foreign Flavor:
• During preparation, filling or transportation

• Conditions may become unhygienic

• E.g unsuitable metallic container develops

metallic flavors
• 8) Discoloration in canned food product:
• May be due to biological causes (enzymatic or non-
enzymatic and metallic.
• E.gs:

• Black deposits in canned pumpkin: the

amino acids present in pumpkin reacts with
iron of the can forming black deposits
• Black deposits in canned fruits:
• Syrups prepared from sugar sometimes
contain SO2,
• Serious blackening of tin plate due to the formation
of iron sulphite.

• Pink discoloration in canned peas and peaches: if

the cans are not properly cooled after sterilization
• Browning of canned apples:
• The dissolved iron may react with the tannins
of the fruit and cause darkening of the fruit.

• Metallic Contamination
Generally caused by Fe and Cu salts

• 1) Ferric tannate: tannins may get into the

product through spices for seasoning
• 2) Iron sulphite:
• So2 may get into the cans through sugar made by
sulphitation instead of carbonation process.

• May also be formed in the can owing to the

decomposition of proteins

• The gas may react with hydrogen formed by fruit

acid and reduced to hydrogen sulphite which inturn
will react with Fe.
• Appearance spoiled,
• Obnoxious smell

• 3) Stack Burning: Insufficient cooling of the

cans before storage
• Discoloration, cooked flavor, soft pulpy pdt.
• quick cooling of the can below 390C is required
before storage
 Microbial spoilage
• Pre-processing spoilage:
• Under-processing spoilage:
• Flat sour,
• Thermophilic acid spoilage
• Sulphite or S-stincker spoilage
• By mesophilic spore forming bacteria
• Spoilage by fungi
• Infection due to leakage through seams