DON’T EAT THAT Wet foods that fall on the floor pick up bacteria quickly, a new study suggests.
Mark Diebert
Robyn
Miranda and Donald Schaffner of Rutgers University in New Brunswick,
N.J., tested gummy candy, watermelon and buttered and unbuttered bread
by dropping morsels onto various surfaces coated with Enterobacter aerogenes
bacteria. Food was left on each surface — stainless steel, ceramic
tile, wood and carpet — for time periods ranging from less than a second
to five minutes. Afterward, the researchers measured the amount of E. aerogenes on the food, harmless bacteria that share attachment characteristics with stomach-turning Salmonella.
As expected, longer contact times generally meant more bacteria on the food. But the transfer depended on other factors, too. Carpet, for instance, was less likely to transfer germs than the other surfaces. Gummy candies, particularly those on carpet, stayed relatively clean. But juicy watermelon quickly picked up lots of bacteria from all surfaces in less than a second. These complexities, the authors write, mean that the five-second rule is probably a rule worth dropping.
As expected, longer contact times generally meant more bacteria on the food. But the transfer depended on other factors, too. Carpet, for instance, was less likely to transfer germs than the other surfaces. Gummy candies, particularly those on carpet, stayed relatively clean. But juicy watermelon quickly picked up lots of bacteria from all surfaces in less than a second. These complexities, the authors write, mean that the five-second rule is probably a rule worth dropping.
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