What do experts say about the 'deadly fried rice syndrome' causing a storm on TikTok?

Writing in The Conversation, professor Enzo Palombo, a microbiology expert at Swinburne University of Technology (Australia), explained "fried rice syndrome" and how to prevent it.

According to Professor Enzo Palombo, a condition called "fried rice syndrome" has caused confusion on TikTok in recent days when it recreated a 2008 death.

The victim in question was a 20-year-old college student who died after eating spaghetti that had been in the refrigerator for five days, even though he had reheated it.

If you want to make fried rice, make sure the old rice is cooled soon after cooking for the first time and after re-frying it needs to be eaten soon - (Illustration from the Internet)

He was determined to have " fried rice syndrome", which occurs when Bacillus cereus bacteria attacks cooked dishes that have been left for a long time, usually starchy dishes and is most common in fried rice.

Bacillus cereus does not always cause serious illness and death , but the case of the unlucky young man is a warning.

Many people think that reheating, cooking, and frying food will be safe. But Bacillus cereus spores are very heat resistant. These spores are basically dormant, but with just the right temperature and conditions they can begin to grow and produce toxins.

Fried rice is often only delicious when using old, dried rice and re-frying it, so it is the dish that most often leads to poisoning by Bacillus cereus, causing the condition to be called "fried rice syndrome".

According to Professor Palombo, symptoms of Bacillus cereus infection include diarrhea and vomiting, which tend to resolve within a few days but some vulnerable people - for example children, people with underlying health conditions - may need care. medical care.

Bacillus cereus is not a common cause of food poisoning like E.coli, Salmonella or Campylobacter, so it receives little attention.

To prevent "fried rice syndrome" , one important thing to remember: "Leftover food should be hot when it needs to be hot, cold when it needs to be cold".

The top "danger zone" - the temperature suitable for bacteria - is a temperature higher than the temperature inside the refrigerator and below 60 degrees Celsius.

After cooking a meal, if you plan to keep it, you need to quickly cool the leftovers without cooling them: You can divide them into small portions and put them in the refrigerator.

Prof. Palombo emphasizes the 2-hour/4-hour rule: If something is removed from the refrigerator for a maximum of 2 hours, it can be safely returned to it.

If left out longer, it needs to be eaten immediately or thrown away. If it stays out longer than 4 hours, it is a real danger.

Of course, you also need to pay attention to other basic rules including washing your hands before eating and before preparing food, using clean utensils to avoid cross-contamination of pathogens from raw food to cooked food. .