Rules need to know when picking up food that falls on the ground

This rule shows when bacteria get into food. From there help you consider when reusing food dropped on the floor.

Many people believe that food falling to the ground that is picked up within 5 seconds can still eat normally. However, research shows that the above rule is not entirely true for all foods. Many studies have been conducted to verify this "5-second rule" .

A recent study also pointed out that the infection phenomenon almost does not appear in the group of processed foods such as biscuits, toast . after falling to the floor but attacked very quickly on noodles. Cooked or sweet .

Researchers at Aston University, led by Professor Anthony C. Hilton, have been investigating the entry of common bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) indoors, including both carpet, wood and tiled surfaces.

Dropped "food" includes toast, pasta, cookies and marshmallows, the time when "food" is on the floor is about 3 - 30 seconds.

Toast (without butter, jam) is a food that is less likely to be invaded by bacteria from any kind of floor surface.

These findings confirm that time is an important factor, determining the penetration of bacteria from a certain floor surface to food. Thereby, the researchers found that the carpeted surface is less likely to transmit bacteria than any other surface in the four tests of these foods.

Along with that, toast is a food that is less likely to be invaded by bacteria from any kind of floor surface. Because of the low water content, the ability of the cake to be trapped by bacteria is negligible whether it is on the floor 3, 5 or even 10 seconds. However, baked bread with butter or jam increases the likelihood of bacteria attaching to food.

In contrast, moist foods such as pasta, sweets . are showing signs of Pseudomonas infection after 3 seconds. After 5 seconds or more, Klebsiella causes urinary infections to begin invading this food.

Tiled and wood flooring is the type of floor surface containing the most bacteria, besides E. coli, S. aureus also has the presence of bacteria Pseudomonas and Klebsiella - bacteria often parasitic in mops. According to experts, every time we clean the floor, they have the opportunity to spread and increase the risk of disease.

"Eating food that falls has a high risk of infection because it relies heavily on factors such as bacteria present on the floor, time left on the surface. However, this study will help," Professor Hilton said . For those who are in the habit of using the "5-second rule" to take into consideration when using dropped food on the floor ".

Previously, experts from Aston University also conducted an investigation to determine the number of people using the 5-second rule. As a result, 87% of the surveyed people (55% of women and 32% of men) said that they used to eat food that fell on the floor and would still do so.