# Why did my canned cheese explode?



## Mel! (Oct 14, 2009)

Last night I was woken up by a loud explosion. It came from the kitchen direction so I went to look.

A can of Turkish cheese had exploded and the cheese had flown out of it. The cheese was in a regular can that canned food comes in, but had not yet been opened. It was one of the newer types of cans, where you put a ring at the top of the can, rather than use a can opener.

Anyone know why it exploded?


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## Andy M. (Oct 14, 2009)

I'd bet it was rotting.  The decomposition generated gases which increased the pressure in the can causing it to explode.  Be grateful.  If you had eaten it, you could be dead now.


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## Mel! (Oct 14, 2009)

****, I've eaten some of it. I'm dead! Oh wait, I'm not. It would seem the first logical explanation, but then again, if it would be so rotten that the gasses made the tin explode, how come the cheese didn't taste or look anything like rotten? :S


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## Andy M. (Oct 14, 2009)

It could be part of the fermentation process that turns milk and cream into cheese in the first place.  Did it taste OK?


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## Mel! (Oct 14, 2009)

Yeah, it tastes great.  I gave it a wash, after it exploded out of the can, and put it in the fridge.  We still have some of it left.  The use by date isnt until December, so it shouldnt have gone bad, until some time after then, if it hadnt been opened.


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## Dillbert (Oct 14, 2009)

mistakes happen - that can may not have been fully processed and I would not eat or keep any of it.


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## annie33 (Oct 14, 2009)

Hi Mel,
I'm new to the forum but have been reading some of the posts and thought this forum is something I could contribute to! I was interested in your problem with the cheese, I can't say in the Uk I've come across tinned cheese. However as a Home Economics teacher and having studied bacteria I would say the problem is definitely with the processing of the can and bacteria within it. Is there a sell by date on the can? If so you should return it to the store or manufacturer and explain what has happened. It would then be up to them to analise it scientifically and you could insist on feedback from them. The most harmful bacteria does not smell or taste ....you have been lucky with tasting it.
I'd love to know if you do get it professionally analised.
Good luck!


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## bigdaddy3k (Oct 14, 2009)

I know that cheese outgasses as it approaches the point of no return but I would assume that anything canned has some sort of preservative added.

Oh and WELCOME annie33!!


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## Alix (Oct 14, 2009)

Canned cheese? Thats one I haven't heard before. I'm not sure what to tell you Mel, but I think I would err on the side of caution if I were you and not eat anymore of it. If it can blow up a can imagine what it could do to you.


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## apple*tart (Oct 14, 2009)

Yes, please don't eat any more of that cheese! Unless it was designed to explode on you, something went wrong in the canning process.  Just because you feel OK now does not mean it is safe to eat.  Sometimes food poisoning can take days to manifest symptoms.  I agree with the sentiment to return the product.  I'm not sure I'd want it replaced.


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## ChefJune (Oct 14, 2009)

Something about "canned cheese" just doesn't sound right to me in the first place.  
I'm with the group that advises you not eat any more of it.


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## GrillingFool (Oct 14, 2009)

I wanna see a picture of this stuff. 
NOt pressurized cheese?
Wasn't on a heat source of any kind?
No governmental secret ray installations nearby?

I too think you shouldn't be eating it.


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## jennyema (Oct 14, 2009)

IMO, it should be everyone's personal rule never to eat the contents of a can that exploded all on its own. There's only one reason that happens -- it's giving off gas. And that's hardly ever ok.

IMO the concept of _canned_ cheese in and of itself seems dicey.

I'd also urge you not to eat it.


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## babetoo (Oct 14, 2009)

please throw it away.


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## Mel! (Oct 15, 2009)

annie33 said:


> Hi Mel,
> I'm new to the forum but have been reading some of the posts and thought this forum is something I could contribute to! I was interested in your problem with the cheese, I can't say in the Uk I've come across tinned cheese. However as a Home Economics teacher and having studied bacteria I would say the problem is definitely with the processing of the can and bacteria within it. Is there a sell by date on the can? If so you should return it to the store or manufacturer and explain what has happened. It would then be up to them to analise it scientifically and you could insist on feedback from them. The most harmful bacteria does not smell or taste ....you have been lucky with tasting it.
> I'd love to know if you do get it professionally analised.
> Good luck!


The sell by date on the can is for December this year. 

Of course I did not get it professionally analised. I have better things to do, than that, when it has not made any of us sick. I have had food poisoning before, and it happens soon after eating something bad, and we dont have food poisoning after eating this cheese. But, if I dont post on these forums again, you can assume the bacteria is deadly.

Thanks Annie  

Mel


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## Mel! (Oct 15, 2009)

Alix said:


> Canned cheese? Thats one I haven't heard before.


 
It is a bit like feta. It is canned in salt water.


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## Mel! (Oct 15, 2009)

apple*tart said:


> Yes, please don't eat any more of that cheese! Unless it was designed to explode on you, .


 
The writing on the can is in Turkish, so I dont know if it is supposed to explode or not.


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## Mel! (Oct 15, 2009)

GrillingFool said:


> I wanna see a picture of this stuff.
> Wasn't on a heat source of any kind?


 
No, it wasnt on a heat source.

I threw out the can, so no photo possible.


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## mexican mama (Oct 15, 2009)

*temperature*

Maybe it was exposed to heat or drastic change in temperature..


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## GB (Oct 15, 2009)

Mel! said:


> I have had food poisoning before, and it happens soon after eating something bad


Do not be fooled by this. it _can_ happen soon after eating something bad, but it can _also_ happen much later. 48 hours after eating bad food you could first see signs of food poisoning. Not to mention there are many different varieties of food poisoning so just because you are not in the bathroom right away does not mean you did not get something or won't.


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## Wyogal (Oct 15, 2009)

Dave's Cupboard: Turkish Cheese 1 - Piknik White Cheese
"testing" food by eating it is absurd.


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## apple*tart (Oct 15, 2009)

Look, this is serious.  The most distressing risk from improperly canned food is botulism, which can be deadly in very small amounts.  If this cheese was contaminated with botulism, you most likely wouldn't be experiencing symptoms yet, because it apparently can take 36 hours to 3 days for symptoms to present, or longer, when ingested.  

Here in the US we had a botulism problem with some canned foods back in 2007.  The infected cans began to explode.  

You need to read up on the symptoms and seek medical help immediately if you or anyone to whom you fed this cheese begins to experience them.  

Disease Listing: Botulism General Information | CDC DFBMD
Botulism - MayoClinic.com
Botulism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## jennyema (Oct 15, 2009)

I agree with *appletart* and *wyogal*

Eating anything from a can that has exploded on its own (ie not from heating the contents, etc) is extremely foolhardy, IMO.

Like *apple* and *GB* have pointed out, food poisoning can take up to 48 hours to present.  And some forms of it have symptoms you might not recognize as being from foodbourne illness.

A foreign product with foreign labeling that explodes in my kitchen is going directly in the trash and any remnants of it are going to be cleaned with antibacterial wipes or bleach.


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## jasonr (Oct 15, 2009)

> Yeah, it tastes great.  I gave it a wash, after it exploded out of the can, and put it in the fridge. We still have some of it left. The use by date isnt until December, so it shouldnt have gone bad, until some time after then, if it hadnt been opened.



Are you out of your mind? Appletart already mentioned botulism, which FYI produces the deadliest toxin on earth. For the love of God throw it out!


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## Wyogal (Oct 15, 2009)

wind-up?


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## TheMetalChef (Oct 15, 2009)

Alix said:


> Canned cheese? Thats one I haven't heard before. I'm not sure what to tell you Mel, but I think I would err on the side of caution if I were you and not eat anymore of it. If it can blow up a can imagine what it could do to you.




Agreed, but just for reference's sake, Velveeta came in a can long ago...


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## TheMetalChef (Oct 15, 2009)

jasonr said:


> Are you out of your mind? Appletart already mentioned *botulism*, which FYI produces the deadliest toxin on earth. For the love of God throw it out!




Or at least just inject it into your face if you want to get some use out of it!


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## Alix (Oct 15, 2009)

TheMetalChef said:


> Agreed, but just for reference's sake, Velveeta came in a can long ago...



Must have been a VERY long time ago. I only ever remember the box. Kept crayons and pencils in those boxes forever it seems. Just how old ARE you MetalChef? You look younger than me...or is that just Oil of Olay at work?


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## TheMetalChef (Oct 15, 2009)

Alix said:


> Must have been a VERY long time ago. I only ever remember the box. Kept crayons and pencils in those boxes forever it seems. Just how old ARE you MetalChef? You look younger than me...or is that just Oil of Olay at work?



Sorry.  Had a major brain cramp.  It wasn't Velveeta.

It was this stuff....


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## Alix (Oct 15, 2009)

Like that stuff too!


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## blissful (Oct 16, 2009)

48 hours. Mel how are you feeling. 
I work in the can manufacturing industry, I'd recommend not eating food from cans that bulge, the foil tops or lids, weeping from seams, exploding cans, anything irregular in a can. Cans that are gassing hydrogen and making the cans appear to not have a tight vacuum seal--are decomposing, rotting or the food is chemically reacting with parts of the can or coatings inside the can.
If you contact the manufacturer, you'll need the printed codes from both the label, printed on the paper outside layer or on the printed can itself, as well as the codes printed on the ends of the can or under the label if it is paper. One set of codes is from the food manufacturer putting the food in the can, the other set is from the can manufacturer.
Let us know you are okay Mel. Thanks, Bliss


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