September 18, 2015
How Safe Is The Five Second Rule?
We all know the drill: drop food on the floor and as long as you pick it up within five seconds, you have the all clear to eat it. But is this really true or just something we want to be true?
In 2003, high school student Jillian Clarke tested this theory while on an internship at the University of Illinois. Clarke coated tiles with E.coli and dropped gummy bears and cookies onto the contaminated surface. Sure enough, even within five seconds, the bacteria found its way to the food.
But that experiment left a few questions. Like HOW much bacteria will infect a food in five seconds and what will happen if we eat that food.
Professor of Food Science at Clemson University Paul Dawson went looking for the answers.
His study found that the amount of bacteria transferred to the food didn't depend on how long it was in contact with the contaminated surface but how much bacteria was present in the first place. The type of surface was also important. Carpet was better than wood or tile. Carpets covered in Salmonella only transferred less than 1% of the bacteria but when food was in contact with wood or tile, 48-70% was transferred!
So what does this mean for you and your fallen food? In the case of some bacteria, it only takes a small amount to make you sick but the chances of the most damaging bacteria, like E.coli, being on most surfaces are pretty slim. But remember, if those bacteria are present, five seconds or less may not matter.
Do you follow the five second rule? Will you now rethink your game plan? Five second rule on carpet only?
Source: Self
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His study found that the amount of bacteria transferred to the food didn't depend on how long it was in contact with the contaminated surface but how much bacteria was present in the first place. The type of surface was also important. Carpet was better than wood or tile. Carpets covered in Salmonella only transferred less than 1% of the bacteria but when food was in contact with wood or tile, 48-70% was transferred!
So what does this mean for you and your fallen food? In the case of some bacteria, it only takes a small amount to make you sick but the chances of the most damaging bacteria, like E.coli, being on most surfaces are pretty slim. But remember, if those bacteria are present, five seconds or less may not matter.
Do you follow the five second rule? Will you now rethink your game plan? Five second rule on carpet only?
Source: Self
Do you follow us on Instagram?
[caption id="attachment_109659" align="alignnone" width="100"]
@BodyRockTV[/caption]