Corrosion in Aluminium Cans with Grape Juice – Influence of Mechanical Damage

The consumption of canned food products from dented cans is not recommended by surveillance and consumer protection agencies due to the possibility of aluminium pick up, which may migrate from package to food/beverage. However, it is necessary to raise scientific data that will support any decision concerning the consumption of this kind of food, especially when the percentage of undernourished persons all over the world is considerable. Drawn and wall ironing–type aluminium cans with 330 ml of ready‐to‐drink grape juice, under three different controlled conditions of can damage as well as without damage, were evaluated for 1 year at 35°C. Aluminium migration, internal pressure and can internal surface appearance were periodically evaluated in order to monitor the package/beverage interaction. The results showed very small variation on the can internal surface appearance and pressure. Even after storage for 365 days, no can presented perforation, although the aluminium migration was increased. The highlight of this work is that after 1 year, for all the evaluated damage conditions, the ready‐to‐drink grape juice in aluminium cans could be considered adequate for human consumption in terms of metal migration from packaging. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.