Your are a microbiologist. The owner of a restaurant hires you to examine a sample of preserved vegetables that appears to have spoiled in its can. The metal can only contains vegetables and water. It appears to have been sealed tightly, but the sides of the can have bulged. Could bacteria in the can have survived the canning process and caused the sides to bulge?

Question

Audrina Waters

Biology

26 April, 16:45

Your are a microbiologist. The owner of a restaurant hires you to examine a sample of preserved vegetables that appears to have spoiled in its can. The metal can only contains vegetables and water. It appears to have been sealed tightly, but the sides of the can have bulged. Could bacteria in the can have survived the canning process and caused the sides to bulge?

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Answers (1)

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Yael Thomas · Answer 1

Yes bacteria can survive if heating process is inadequate.

Explanation:

Most of the canned food is spoiled by thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria. These bacteria can survive the canning process if the can is inadequately heated. Most of them are able to produce gas which can cause bulging of can.

Clostridium species are mainly involved in the spoilage of canned food. C. thermosaccharolyticum is a thermophilic bacteria which spoil can food and evolve CO2 gas that cause bulging of can. Example of mesophilic bacteria that cause spoilage and swelling of can are C. botulinum, C. puterifaciens, etc.

Therefore thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria can survive the canning process if heat treatment and the temperature are not adequate.