I hope that terrorist don't diside to use this cans as biological weapons. that would be rilly bad. think about it opening up the door and there it is a can and a second later boom it blowes up in your face. i hope they get all thoes cans before the terrorist do.

[edit on 7/27/2007 by hughes28105]

Erm I don't think they go boom in such a way that it would blow up your house or anything. I think terrorists would more likely just plant bombs lol

Sounds like botulism. It's a type of bacterium known as an anaerobe and it grows specifically in the absence of oxygen. The bacterium is resistant to the high temperatures used during the preparation of the food. Thats why it is imperative that time, temperature and pressure be used on canned food to effectively burst the bacterium. Remember when you were a kid and your mom used a pressure cooker on garden vegetable that she was going to can. That's why.

Forgive me but you are making a common mistake in assuming that pressure has anything to do with sterilisation processes. The pressure is needed solely to enable to internal temperature to achieve a high enough level for a long enough period. The pressure is necessary to enable the higher resultant temperature so that the water in the items does not boil at the usual 100 c but is still in liquid form at the higher 121c.

121c for 15 minutes is commonly refrerred to as the standard sterilising cycle.

Clostridium Botulinum contamination of food is not normally (although can be) caused by the bacterium itself but by the resting stage of the organism such as spores. These are very hardy beasties and the process of food prep is designed to minimise the presence of them. The actual bacterium istelf is just as susceptible to heat damage as any other vegetative cell (very).

In addition although the inside of a can is sealed while hot, it is not normally without oxygen, this can of course be the case if designed to be so however it is not normal for this to be so. Thus for the anaerobic organisms to flourish, other bacterial organims normally have to use up the oxygen first, create the anaerobic conditions and bang there goes the botulinum..It is also the toxin that is produced by the cells that is toxic not the organism itself.

Half of Hollywood would look significantly different without the toxin . This is where the so called "botox" comes from Botulism toxin is a neurotoxin and can have the effects we see on faces in your lungs et al if you eat it.

The point is that botulism contamination is rare as specific circumstances have to be met for it to flourish. If those are met however the effects can be devastating. (fatal)