# Why are pineapple juice cans so much thicker than other canned beverages such as apple juice or soda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2024, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625 "2024-05-16T09:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skwirl137](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Skwirl137](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwirl137)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/1 "2024-05-16T09:25:58Z")
Why are pineapple juice cans so much thicker and robust than other canned beverages? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/2 "2024-05-16T09:29:28Z")
Where I live, the containers for pineapple juice are not different from those for any other kind of fruit juice. But I can see that some brands of pineapple juice might want to emulate the familiar look of cans of pineapple rings. This could explain the larger diameter. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/3 "2024-05-16T09:32:02Z")
Historical inertia, perhaps? Fruit juice was being canned long before soda and beer, and older metal cans were heavier and thicker than modern ones. On top of that, juice cans usually aren’t single-serve - they’re the big bastards you have to punch open with a churchkey. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/4 "2024-05-16T10:43:08Z")
if i remember correctly pineapple juice has more acid than most juice also Its why you cant put pineapple in certain types of jello … the acid wont let it set … ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/5 "2024-05-16T10:46:08Z")
I have seen differences in canning just come down to the age of the machinery. We saw mergers of a few companies involved in canning fruit and fruit juices, and after the merger, it just depended upon the factory the product came from how robust the can was. I guess they found that the capital cost of a new factory line outweighed the ongoing extra cost of materials. Or more likely, it would just involve shutting down the older factory, which has its own costs and difficulties. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/6 "2024-05-16T11:19:36Z")
> **[Why can't I use fresh pineapple to make Jell-O?](https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science-you-asked/why-cant-i-use-fresh-pineapple-make-jell-o)** > > Pineapple, kiwi and papaya all contain proteolytic enzymes, in other words enzymes capable of breaking down protein molecules. And gelatin, the substance that makes Jell-O gel, is a protein. Gelatin doesn’t actually occur in nature, it is made from... > Bromolain in pineapple, papain in papaya and actinidin in kiwi are all enzymes capable of breaking down proteins, hence the warning that these fruits cannot be used in Jell-O. But canned fruits are fine because the pasteurization process they undergo destroys the proteolytic enzymes. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/7 "2024-05-16T11:22:24Z")
huh… thanks for that never knew exactly how it did it ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/8 "2024-05-16T12:34:30Z")
I would also suspect it could be due to acidity. There is a short Reddit thread on the same question that mentions Dole pineapple juice cans being heavier and made of steel, while their other juice cans are aluminum. There is speculation that this is due to aluminum being more reactive to acid. Experiment: Does a magnet stick to your pineapple juice cans? Also, are they Dole brand juice cans? I assume the interiors of aluminum cans are coated with a nonreactive material, otherwise the acidity of carbonized beverages or tomato juice would eat through them, too. (I think steel cans are also coated, possibly with plastic.) Maybe Dole’s cannery in Hawaii has not been upgraded to work with aluminum, or they choose to take no chances and decided to stick with steel cans for anything pineapple related. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/9 "2024-05-16T13:59:02Z")
I remember from childhood there used to be a brand of orange juice that came in those thick cans. Donald Duck maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/10 "2024-05-16T15:09:31Z")
I haven’t had a can of pineapple juice in forever but, back in the late 80s during my high school days, I’d sometimes get a can from the vending machine. It was definitely heavier than the other machine options including the apple and orange juices. The guess back then was also due to acidity and I don’t _think_ it was just the plant picking a different material since they were all from the same company. These days I wouldn’t be surprised if some pineapple juice cans were lighter due to advances in packaging and what you could line the cans with since 1989. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/11 "2024-05-16T15:41:26Z")
My pineapple juice is in that plastic jug that’s so familiar (Cranberry juice comes in it too, and many other flavors). Why doesn’t the pineapple juices special properties eat through that? I think it’s just the old way to can it, of certain brands. And they continue to do it that way. Oh, lord that unsweetened Donald Duck juice. That stuff was maniacally bad and undrinkable. I can’t drink sweetened juices, so I’ve tried all the unsweetened ones. I have to say there isn’t much to choose from these days. So much sugar added. I juice my own fruit or drink water. I keep pineapple or other juice in case I have a glucose drop. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/12 "2024-05-16T15:58:20Z")
That was my guess; pineapple juice seems to have been in the exact same steel cans for decades now. The one I’ve got in front of me is a Dole can, and it’s from the Philippines. Maybe that’s the sort of canning machinery they’ve got there as well as the supply chain they can support there for producing cans. Like they can produce thin sheet steel cheaply and easily for some reason, but the aluminum or plastic forming machinery isn’t there, and would require a supply chain not yet in place, or the direct importing of cans/can materials. > [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > I assume the interiors of aluminum cans are coated with a nonreactive material, otherwise the acidity of carbonized beverages or tomato juice would eat through them, too. (I think steel cans are also coated, possibly with plastic.) Maybe Dole’s cannery in Hawaii has not been upgraded to work with aluminum, or they choose to take no chances and decided to stick with steel cans for anything pineapple relat I would bet they’re _all_ coated with that plastic layer; steel and aluminum are both reactive enough to cause off flavors in fruit juices if not coated with something. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/13 "2024-05-16T17:16:36Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > These days I wouldn’t be surprised if some pineapple juice cans were lighter due to advances in packaging and what you could line the cans with since 1989. They aren’t. Still thick and heavy. I keep cans on hand for summer cocktails so there are always a few in the pantry. They have tab openings, but are mostly steel. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/14 "2024-05-19T01:19:59Z")
Cans of any type for food will have a thin epoxy resin sprayed in the inside , no food stuff should ever be touching the the aluminum or steel or whatever so can thickness is not determined by corrosion by the food. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2024, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pineapple-juice-cans-so-much-thicker-than-other-canned-beverages-such-as-apple-juice-or-soda/1001625/15 "2024-05-19T02:04:17Z")
The University of Illinois extension service suggests that your canned pineapple products are likely in [cans coated on the inside with tin](https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/live-well-eat-well/2022-02-16-lets-look-inside-can) > Acidic fruits - like pineapple - tend to be added to steel cans with a thin plating of tin, so it can appear like there is no liner in the can. The reason for this type of coating is because many fruits oxidize - or react with oxygen in the air - and turn dark in color. The tin reacts more easily with oxygen than the fruit, keeping oxygen away from the fruit and preventing the fruit from turning dark inside the can. [A Complete Course in Canning and Related Processes (Fourteenth Edition)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780857096791/a-complete-course-in-canning-and-related-processes), 2016 seems to agree: > As with most juices, pineapple juice is more commonly prepasteurised and then aseptically filled. > > _Cans_. Plain cans and ends made of differentially coated tinplate are recommended (high tin coating mass on the inside). So my guess would be that the extra weight comes, in part, from needing to use tin lining instead of some other material. Not just the weight of the tin (which I assume is minimal) but also the base material. Perhaps tin-plating works better on steel than on aluminum. I’m not qualified to say but most results when searching for tin-plated aluminum were electronics component related versus food/packaging related for tin-plated steel.