Once again, youve dropped your snack. You snatch it up and gently blow off any dust. Youre about to put it in your mouth because, after all, youve got the five-second rule on your side. But really, should you eat it? Definition of five-second rule: Food thats been dropped is safe to consume if its been on the floor for five seconds or less because it takes that amount of time before the food can be colonised by microbial life. Study #1: Researchers at Aston University in Birmingham, England Anthony Hilton, a professor of Microbiology, considered a variety of foods – toast, pasta, cookie, and a sticky candy – to see how much bacteria (E. coli and Staphylococcus) they attracted when allowed contact with the floor. They allowed the food to lie on various types of flooring – carpet, laminate, and tiles – for 3 seconds to 30 seconds. Conclusion #1: - Not surprisingly, the longer the food was allowed commune with the floor, the more bacteria it accumulated. - The surfaces differed in how likely they were to transfer the bacteria, with carpeting being the least likely, and tiled surfaces and laminate the most likely. Transfer from indoor flooring surfaces is incredibly poor with carpet posing the lowest risk of bacterial transfer onto dropped food. - The moister the food, the more likely it was to pick up bacteria. Bacteria are transferred immediately on contact. However, the transfer efficacy is extremely low. Hence, the study supports the five-second rule. Study #2: Clemson University in South Carolina The Clemson study used Salmonella typhimurium. Clemson tested only bologna and bread. Conclusion #2: The two studies agree on several points. When food comes into contact with a contaminated surface, the transfer of bacteria to the food is immediate. However, the conclusion varies. No matter what the surface or contact time, enough bacteria was transferred to be detected and to make someone sick. Whether scientists have really “proven” the legitimacy of the five-second rule is debatable, so it’s fine to remain a little skeptical. If you’re partial to the practice, use your best guess about the risks: If your food is covered with fuzz after three seconds on the floor, you may just want to move on. [Credits] forbes/sites/alicegwalton/2014/03/14/amazingly-science-backs-5-second-rule-for-dropped-food/ news.nationalgeographic/news/2014/03/140315-five-second-rule-bacteria-food-safety/
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 09:34:01 +0000
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