Pickled jalapenos are aggressive to steel food can coatings causing blistering of the coating and corrosion of the metal can. The purpose of this research was to identify the aggressive component responsible. Acetic acid and capsaicin were suspected of being aggressive to coating components. The acetic acid and capsaicin that penetrate through the coating were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a fluorescence spectrophotometer, respectively.