An unlikely culprit poses contamination risk during food preparation

A research on the potential for cross-contaminating kitchen surfaces with pathogens throughout meals preparation has pointed to an unlikely perpetrator for spreading illness: spice containers.

Detailing findings within the Journal of Meals Safety, Donald Schaffner, a Distinguished Professor within the Division of Meals Science on the Rutgers Faculty of Environmental and Organic Sciences who co-authored the research in collaboration with North Carolina State College colleagues, concluded that when shoppers are getting ready meals, spice containers can simply change into cross-contaminated with health-threatening microorganisms. Cross-contamination is the method by which microbes are transferred from one substance or object to a different, usually with dangerous results.

The research was commissioned by the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s (USDA) Meals Security and Inspection Service.

“Along with extra apparent surfaces like slicing boards, rubbish can lids and fridge handles, this is one thing else that it’s essential take note of whenever you’re attempting to be clear and sanitary in your kitchen,” Schaffner mentioned. “Our analysis reveals that any spice container you contact whenever you’re getting ready uncooked meat would possibly get cross-contaminated. You will wish to take heed to that in or after meal preparation.”

Foodborne sicknesses equivalent to non-typhoidal Salmonella and Campylobacter account for almost 2 million infections per 12 months within the U.S., in keeping with research by the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC). A good portion of these sicknesses are derived from USDA-regulated meals merchandise, together with rooster, turkey, beef, pork and sport, in keeping with the Interagency Meals Security Analytics Collaboration, a bunch fashioned in 2011 by the CDC, the USDA’s Meals Security and Inspection Service and the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration. Scientists mentioned they imagine correct dealing with of meals—together with satisfactory cooking, constant handwashing and sanitizing of kitchen surfaces and utensils—can fight cross-contamination.

“The aim of this research was to find out the prevalence and diploma of cross-contamination throughout quite a lot of kitchen surfaces throughout a client meal preparation occasion,” mentioned Schaffner, who is also the Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station’s Extension Specialist in Meals Science.

Researchers monitored the habits of 371 adults cooking an equivalent turkey burger recipe in a number of kitchens of assorted sizes, starting from small apartment-style kitchens to bigger educating kitchens, in extension facilities and meals banks. Individuals ready a meal consisting of uncooked floor turkey patties with a seasoning recipe, together with a prepackaged salad. To simulate the motion of a pathogen throughout a kitchen, researchers inoculated the meat forward of time with a bacteriophage generally known as “MS2” to function a protected tracer. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect micro organism and haven’t any impact on people.

Individuals weren’t knowledgeable that researchers can be inspecting their meals security behaviors till after that they had ready the meal. As soon as the meal had been ready, researchers swabbed kitchen utensils, cleansing areas and kitchen surfaces to check for the presence of the MS2 tracer. Primarily based on observations of contributors’ habits throughout cooking, researchers determined to take samples from some new classes of surfaces, equivalent to spice containers and sink faucet handles.

The researchers discovered probably the most often contaminated objects have been spice containers, with about 48 p.c of the samples displaying proof of MS2 contamination. This prevalence of contamination was considerably completely different from many different surfaces sampled. Chopping boards and trash can lids have been the second and third most contaminated. Faucet handles have been the least contaminated object studied.

“We have been stunned as a result of we had not seen proof of spice container contamination earlier than,” Schaffner mentioned. “Most analysis on the cross-contamination of kitchen surfaces attributable to dealing with of uncooked meat or poultry merchandise has centered on kitchen slicing boards or faucet handles and has uncared for surfaces like spice containers, trash bin lids and different kitchen utensils. This makes this research and related research from members of this group extra complete than earlier research.”