Glass in my Tuna
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
December 1, 2015 8:25pm CST
I decided to make tuna fish sandwiches for lunch and because The Boy would be coming home from school, I opened two cans. I was just about to dump the contents of one of the cans into a bowl when I noticed that there was something glittery on top of the tuna, catching the light and turning into shiny prisms of color.
I brought the can nearer the window. The top of my tuna appeared to be covered in tiny shards of glass. I managed to get one onto my finger, and sure enough, it wasn't just an optical illusion, there was a shiny, hard shard there.
I put the open can aside, and made up the other can. I had a sandwich and googled "shards of glass in my Tuna". Well, it was actually Yahoo, so I Yahooed "shards of glass in my Tuna".
To my surprise, what I found was not a massive recall of tuna, but an explanation that what was in my tuna was not glass, but tiny crystals of a substance called "struvite".
Apparently, struvite is a compound made up of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate that is in the tuna. These naturally minerals become bonded and crystallized during canning. And though it isn't something that happens in every can of tuna, it does happen here and there.
According to the article I read, these crystals are disintegrated and dissolved during digestion and pose no risk. Glad to hear it, or I might have tossed out a good can of tuna.
So, if you open a tuna can and see pieces of glass, it is probably struvite. You can test it by putting the crystal in a bowl of vinegar and warming it up. If it dissolves, it is struvite.
Have you ever heard of struvite? Have you ever found these crystals in a can of seafood?
A local woman contacted the Problem Solvers after finding what look like tiny, sharp pieces of glass stuck inside the layers of canned tuna. When I went to take a closer look, I could understand why she was concerned.
36 people like this
39 responses
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Dec 15
I have never noticed that in any of my cans of tuna, but now I know what to look for in the future, and if I see it, I know it's still safe to consume. Thanks for sharing!
6 people like this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
2 Dec 15
It is safe to consume but I was confused that the article said if you found it, you could just throw it away. Well, why would I want to throw out my tuna? I hope I don't see it again, but at least I didn't have to cause a giant tuna recall.
5 people like this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Dec 15
@Rollo1 Well, even if the struvite is harmless and won't kill us, we still have mercury to worry about. Every time I read about seafood, health experts are always warning us that most seafood contains excessively high amounts of mercury, which is toxic to humans once it builds up in your body. I try to limit my seafood intake to once a week or less.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
2 Dec 15
@moffittjc Because of my economic situation, it's cheap for me to eat a tuna fish sandwich, bowl of soup and handful of chips; every single day. My body could probably be used as a highway sign that lights up.
I wonder if it happens due to temperature or maybe from settling.
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
2 Dec 15
not heard of that before - glad you spotted the shards before you swallowed any or you might have been very alarmed - hope you get a refund from the stores selling it as they are recalling the tins
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
2 Dec 15
@Rollo1 oh right, sorry misread that bit - I guess it is just unlucky if your tins contain it
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
2 Dec 15
I had already sliced up the tuna with a knife as a preparation to getting it shredded a bit before putting it in the bowl, so I don't know if I cut up any of the crystals, but mine were tiny. The photos I have seen show some pretty big pieces people have found.
2 people like this
