Anticorrosive food ingredients to reduce liner thickness in beverage cans

Overview

This research addresses a significant sustainability challenge in the beverage packaging industry: the reliance on petrochemical-derived liner coatings used inside aluminum cans to prevent corrosion. Cornell researchers have identified certain approved food ingredients—particularly specific polysaccharides—that act as effective anticorrosive agents when added directly to beverages. By incorporating these ingredients into beverage formulations, manufacturers may be able to use substantially thinner liner coatings without compromising product integrity or shelf life. This approach reduces dependence on petrochemicals and associated greenhouse gas emissions during liner production, offering a dual benefit of cost reduction and environmental impact mitigation for beverage brands and can manufacturers.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Corrosion inhibition efficacy: Preliminary validation showed greater than 50% inhibition efficiency (p<.05) for several macromolecular food ingredients tested against bare aluminum coupons.
• Approved ingredients: Uses food-grade polysaccharides already approved for consumption, simplifying regulatory pathways.
• Testing methodology: Aluminum alloy coupons evaluated under anoxic conditions across three corrosive beverage types at 3, 7, and 14-day intervals, with twelve treatments plus controls.
• Multi-parameter measurement: Corrosion assessed via coupon weight loss, dissolved aluminum quantification, and visual inspection.
• Future validation scope: Testing with three corrosive beverages (low pH, high chloride), three anticorrosive ingredient candidates at sub-sensory-threshold concentrations, and liner coatings at 1, 3, and 10 microns under both accelerated and long-term storage conditions.
• Analytical depth: Planned evaluation includes dissolved aluminum measurement, electrochemical parameters, and visual inspection.

Technology readiness level

The technology is at an early-to-mid stage of development. Proof-of-concept has been established through accelerated storage testing on bare aluminum coupons, demonstrating statistically significant corrosion inhibition. The next phase of validation—testing with actual coated cans of varying liner thickness under both accelerated and real-time storage conditions—will require approximately one year of dedicated research effort. The team is seeking support to fund a full-time researcher to execute these experiments and advance the technology toward commercial readiness.