Final answer:
Cold holding salsa requires a temperature at or below 4 degrees C (40 degrees F) to prevent bacterial growth. Excessive heat, as in cans warned not to be stored above 120 °F (48.8 °C), can lead to pressure build-up and explosion. Always refrigerate perishables like salsa to ensure food safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The maximum temperature allowed for cold holding a container of salsa is 4 degrees C (40 degrees F). This is because temperatures above this and below 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) allow for rapid bacterial growth, which can make perishable foods like salsa unsafe to consume.
To prevent foodborne illness, it's essential to keep salsa and other perishable foods refrigerated at or below this temperature until served, and any perishable foods left out at temperatures in the danger zone for more than two hours should be discarded.
Additionally, consistent with the information provided, cans with warnings such as 'Store only at temperatures below 120 °F (48.8 °C). Do not incinerate.' signal the risks associated with excessive heat and pressure build-up, which could lead to explosion.
Considering Boyle's Law and following a hypothetical scenario, if the temperature inside a car reaches 50 °C, the pressure within a can would increase as well, which could potentially cause the can to explode if the structural limits of the can are surpassed.