Failures of Thermally Treated Canned Foods

The description of thermal treatments for canned foods is only the first step towards the comprehension of these products because of the implicit possibility of commercial and safety failures. This chapter discusses several of the most known defects on canned foods with relation to the entire product (food/packaging system), the food or the container only. The concept of ‘failure’ or ‘defect’ is the opposite concept of ‘excellent’ or ‘good performance’ that should be expected by canners. The ‘right’ approach should be the discussion of failures with reference to the global food/packaging system, the food only, or the container only. Failures of the whole system can be considered as the synergic effect of food- and packaging-related defects; there is abundant literature for these problems. On the contrary, literature concerning defects of the metal container—and related consequences—is not abundant, and this chapter aims to give more specific information to Readers.