Studies upon the thermal resistance of bacterial spores

The preservation of food by canning, both commercially and in the home, is a nation-wide industry that is becoming increasingly important. A large percentage of our food supply is stored or handled in the canned condition and for this reason any influence tending to destroy it or make it unfit for consumption becomes a serious menace not only from an economic, but from a public health standpoint. Serious problems have developed in this industry, arising from the fact that long established practices have at times failed to accomplish successful preservation. Not only have great losses in valuable food material been sustained through spoilage, but many lives have been lost as the result of eating canned foods made poisonous by bacteria. The troubles have resulted from the survival after the cooking process, of the spores of certain heat resistant bacteria which find in the cans of food conditions favorable for growth and which through this growth cause deterioration and spoilage of the can contents.