Where in the kitchen is the most germ-infested?

Where is the most heavily contaminated place in the kitchen where you cook and wash dishes on a daily basis?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on its official website on the 19th that various condiment containers are the most contaminated with germs in the kitchen.

FSIS commissioned a specialized research institute to investigate places with high bacterial contamination in kitchens that people use every day. As a result, the first place was the seasoning container, which was handled with hands that touched the ingredients. The second place was a cutting board for slicing and trimming various ingredients such as vegetables and meat, and the third place was a trash can for various garbage from the kitchen.

The kitchen, where you touch various facilities with your hands that have touched ingredients such as raw meat, is a space where germs are easily cross-contaminated. <사진=pixabay>

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 United States, 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 kitchen facilities such as knives, cutting boards, seasonings, refrigerators, and ovens were used as well as ingredients.

As a result, the bacterial positive rate was generally less than 20% in places where food materials were handled, such as cooking utensils and countertops. However, the condiment container had a bacterial positive rate of 48%, and more bacteria were detected than other places in the kitchen.

The place with the most bacterial contamination in the kitchen was the seasoning container, which was vulnerable to cross-contamination. <사진=pixabay>

An official from the research team said, “Condiment containers, which are often touched while preparing raw meat, are the most vulnerable to bacterial contamination.” 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 said. “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 humans.

If you are tired of washing your hands following touching raw meat and other raw ingredients in the kitchen, you can simply use hand sanitizer. <사진=pixabay>

FSIS said, “In order to prevent food poisoning, which may take a while, it is right to wash your hands following touching raw food ingredients. Considering convenience, if it is difficult to wash your hands every time you touch food ingredients, you can use the hand sanitizer you have become accustomed to due to the corona pandemic.” he advised.

For reference, bacteriophage, that is, a virus that eats bacteria, is attracting 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 to each other in December last year. When beads with a diameter of regarding 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 [e-mail]