Where is the most contaminated place in the kitchen where you cook and wash dishes every day?
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on its official website on the 19th that various conifer containers are the most contaminated with germs in the kitchen.
FSIS commissioned a specialized research organization to investigate areas of high bacterial contamination in kitchens that people use every day. As a result, the first place was the seasoning container, which was handled by hands that touched the ingredients. The second place was a cutting board for slicing and chopping various ingredients such as vegetables and meat, and the third place was a rubbish bin for various rubbish from the kitchen.
Regarding this investigation, FSIS explained, “The kitchen is the easiest place in the house for mold and bacteria to breed.”
A research team at Rutgers University in the US, commissioned by FSIS, used raw turkey patties to examine the migration path of bacteria. After distributing patties to 371 subjects, they were asked to make hamburgers with packaged lettuce. When cooking, all the kitchen facilities were used such as knives, cutting boards, seasoning, fridges and ovens as well as ingredients.
As a result, the bacterial positivity rate was generally less than 20% in areas where food materials were handled, such as cookware and countertops. However, the condiment container had a positive bacterial rate of 48%, and more bacteria were found than elsewhere in the kitchen.
An official from the research team said, “Condiment containers, which are frequently touched during the preparation of raw meat, are the most susceptible to bacterial contamination.” he said.
“After touching raw meat or fish and other food materials that may have germs, you should wash your hands before touching other kitchen utensils,” he added.
FSIS acknowledged that it is difficult for people to handle and wash their hands in the kitchen, knowing the risk of cross-contamination of germs. Therefore, it is recommended to use disinfectants that are safe and easy to use for people.
FSIS said, “To prevent food poisoning, which can take time, it’s okay to wash your hands after touching raw food ingredients. For convenience, if it’s difficult to wash your hands every time you’ n touching food ingredients, you can use the hand sanitizer you’ve become familiar with because of the corona pandemic.” he said.
For information, bacteriophage, that is, a virus that eats bacteria, attracts attention for strong and safe sterilization of kitchens, etc. A research team at McMaster University in Canada introduced a powerful and safe sterilization method that linked countless bacteriophages together in December last year. When beads with a diameter of about 20 micrometers (㎛), that is, 0.02 mm, were filled with phage and applied to E. coli, which usually occurs in the kitchen, a strong sterilization effect was confirmed.
Reporter Yoonseo Lee lys@sputnik.kr
