ThermaBacteBiology of Some Ghanaian Canned Foods

ABSTRACT

THERMOBACTERIOLOGY OF SOME GHANAIAN CANNED FOODS F. ATO-AUSTIN Dept, of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, SUPERVISING COMMITTEE 1976. Dr. M„L. Woolfe Dr. R.J. Priest!^ Dr. So Grondin. The m i c r o b io lo g i c a l content and the therma l p r o ­ c e s s e s in use fo r s ix l o c a l l y canned vegetables , Bambara Beans in sauce , Garden egg s in B r in e , Okro in b r in e , Whole Tomato in tomato juice and Pepper puree were studied to establish causes of spoilage in the canned products, . Preliminary can examination and microbiological analysis of the canned products showed that both leakage and underpr ocessing occurred widely in the products . Leakage occurred chiefly as a result of improper double seaming operation^. It was shown that the seaming process** es in use at the f a c t o r i e s tended to pro du ce cans with l oo s e doub l e s e am s ( i . e 0 l a r g e F r e e Space and sm a l l % O v e r l a p s ) , , Side seam de fect s (due main ly to inadequate so ld er in g ) were a l so c o n s i d e r e d s i g n i f i c an t as a c au s e of l eakage ,