Eli5: how does canned food last so long while the can is sealed? Does it use preservatives?
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If done properly, the food is sealed in an environment with little or no oxygen and no bacteria. There’s basically nothing in there with the food to spoil it (unless the food is somehow self-spoiling), so it stays relatively fresh.
Which is also why a ‘bloated’ can should not be used – the extra gas produced while the can was sealed means that the canning *wasn’t* done properly, bacteria survived and have been merrily eating and reproducing since.
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