When it comes to beverage ingredients and packaging materials, sometimes they don't get along very well.
That's why we want to ensure that you are aware of the risks and have knowledge on how to prevent corrosion and damage to your cans. This article covers the following topics:What is Beverage and Can Type Compatibility
The most inner coatings of the cans usually work fine with most types of beer, but with newer beverage styles that have more specific chemical compositions, there could be issues with the inner coating properties, like varnish resiliency. The ideal can type for your beverage may vary depending on the formula and ingredients used.
As we mentioned in this article, Epoxy cans are more resistant to corrosion for many beverages, while BPANI cans, although required in certain countries, might be less suitable for some. That's why it's important to check your beverage's corrosivity and determine which can type is best suited for it. Trust us, taking these interactions into account is crucial for avoiding metal fatigue, degraded inner coating, and severe quality control issues due to corrosion. And nobody wants that!
To ensure the best possible quality for your beverage, keep these things in mind. Otherwise, you might end up with cans that explode, seams that fail, pin-hole leaks, off-flavors, and a shorter shelf life.
What can cause damage & how to spot it?
It's important to remember that no single ingredient alone can cause immediate damage of a can. It's actually the combination of ingredients, along with the specifications of the can inner coating itself, that determine whether the beverage is compatible with the packaging. There are a lot of factors that can affect compatibility, including dissolved oxygen levels, internal pressure, sulfites, chlorides, copper, highly acidic ingredients and low pH levels.
It's also important to keep in mind that there are environmental factors that can increase the likelihood of can breakage, such as storage conditions, time in storage, temperature and handling during warehousing and transport.
If you happen to spot any liquid on the outside of the can, it could mean that there's an issue inside. Take a moment to inspect the can for any product on it and be sure to check for any leaks, seepage, or seamer leakage, as these could also indicate damage. Also, keep an eye out for any boxes or trays that are wet or moldy. If you notice any signs of corrosion or if the can is deformed, it's recommended to further examine the issue. It's important to note that spots of corrosion may appear as specks, but they are not.
How to protect your beverage?
If you're looking to keep your product from corroding and to determine the right can type for it, one great way to do that is by checking it before it gets packaged up. The corrosivity test helps you figure out how well your beverage interacts with its packaging, so you can make sure it stays in great shape.
Here are some tips to help you out:
- On our platform, we offer a cool feature that lets you check the corrosivity of your beverage (for drinks other than beer). This will help you determine the appropriate can type and qualify for a 6-12 month warranty on your cans
Our beverage check consists of 3 steps, which vary depending on the complexity of your beverage:-
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- First, we conduct a basic parameters check. We will ask you about your beverage type to determine which parameters are crucial to be checked. Then, you can provide us with 2-4 parameter values and we will check if they fall within the allowed threshold. If they do, we will provide you with information about suitable can types. This process only takes 3 minutes.
- If the parameters check is not positive, we will ask you to fill out a more detailed description of your beverage recipe (BevForm) and forward it to our partner's lab (Ardagh Lab) for further examination. This process can take up to 2 weeks. Once the results are positive, we will provide you with the warranty and indicate suitable can types.
- If the BevForm results are not satisfactory, we will advise you to conduct lab tests on your liquid. This will allow the scientists at ArdaghLab to determine the corrosiveness of your beverage under different environmental conditions. This process can take up to 4-6 weeks.
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- Before and after making any changes to your recipe, it's a good idea to get lab testing done.
- At your own facility, test your beverage in cans over time and under different storage conditions.
- Be sure to rinse your cans thoroughly after filling and prevent outside-in corrosion.
- After your product has been packaged and loaded onto pallets, inspect the cans carefully.
- Keep an eye on your product during distribution and scaling, and address any concerns immediately.
- For consistent quality, make sure to always use the same can manufacturer and inner coating
- If you're using a co-packer, be sure to ask about their packaging process.
Still have some questions regarding the beverage and can type compatibility in mind? Feel free to reach us anytime!