Are there preservatives in canned food?

Canned food is a very delicious food. Many people like to eat it. Most of the canned food we eat is canned fruit or canned meat. These two canned foods taste good and are usually made from pickled food. In order to keep the canned food for a longer time, some substances that can increase the shelf life are added to it. So are there preservatives in the canned food?

Many people feel that canned food can preserve for such a long time, so it must contain preservatives. In fact, there are no preservatives in cans.

Food spoilage is mainly caused by microorganisms under suitable conditions. In order to prevent the growth of microorganisms, a variety of measures can be taken to control it, such as canning.

Canned food is preserved by first sealing it and then heating and sterilizing it to completely kill the microorganisms in the food. After a certain period of high-temperature heating, the microorganisms in the cans are killed; at the same time, because they are sealed, microorganisms in the environment cannot enter the cans. Since the microorganisms are controlled, canned foods can be stored for a long time.

"Ultra-high temperature heating followed by aseptic packaging" is another common solution for long-term food preservation in the food industry. The principle is the same as that of canned food, which is to kill all microorganisms through ultra-high temperature heating, and then aseptically package them in a sterile environment to prevent the entry of microorganisms, thereby achieving preservation without the need for preservatives.

1. Do canned fruits contain preservatives?

Under normal circumstances, canned food should not require the addition of preservatives. Canned food is preserved by first sealing it and then heating and sterilizing it to completely kill the microorganisms in the food. After a certain period of high-temperature heating, the microorganisms in the cans are killed; at the same time, because they are sealed, microorganisms in the environment cannot enter the cans. Because microorganisms are controlled, canned foods can be stored for a long time and do not require preservatives.

However, small companies add some preservatives during production in order to save sterilization costs. The preservatives allowed for use by the country are listed in detail in GB 2760. Please refer to GB 2760-2014 National Food Safety Standard Food Additives Usage Standard. As long as the types and limits are added according to the standard, it is legal and can be considered safe.

The more commonly used food preservatives are sorbate and nitrite. Potassium sorbate is basically non-toxic, but nitrite is a carcinogen, which is more problematic.

The food additive hygiene standards stipulate that no additives should be added to canned fruits. However, some inferior canned foods contain synthetic pigments such as potassium sorbate, carmine, and tartrazine, and also use sweeteners, industrial-grade pyrolyte, and industrial hydrogen peroxide to "bathe" the coconut. Therefore, you should be extra careful when choosing canned fruit.