Stop using the five-second rule as an excuse for eating off the floor. A new study shows that bacteria can contaminate the food that you just dropped in less than a second.
“The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food,” said study lead researcher Donald Schaffner, a professor and extension specialist in food science.
The doctor also mentioned that the food could be contaminated by bacteria instantaneously.
The experiment consisted in dropping different types of aliments on a variety of surfaces. They used watermelon, gummy candy, and bread. Ceramic tile, wood, carpeting and stainless steel are the types of surfaces used in the experiment, and they were contaminated with a salmonella-like bacteria
After the surfaces had been dry, they started the research and evaluated the transfer of bacteria from the surfaces to each food. They let the food stay on the ground for 1 second, five seconds and up to 300 seconds. Overall they had a total of 2,560 measurements after completing 128 scenarios 20 times.
They discovered that a longer exposure to the bacteria made the germs spread worse, but it can also get contaminated in just one second.
Another factor that influenced the germs spread was moisture. So if the food is wetter, then the risk of being contaminated with bacteria grows.
“Bacteria don’t have legs, they move with the moisture, and the wetter the food, the higher the risk of transfer. Also, longer food contact times usually result in the transfer of more bacteria from each surface to food,” said the doctor
For instance, watermelon was affected more by the bacteria compared to the gummy bears that had the less amount of bacteria after the study.
The type of surface was an important factor as well. For example, if you drop food on the carpet it has less chances of developing germs than the food dropped on the stainless steel. The most variable levels of contamination were found on the wood surface.
So the type of food and the kind of surface that is dropped on are important factors in the way the bacteria develops on the food. Overall the scientist dunked the five-second rule.
Did you apply the five-second rule?
Image source:Wikipedia

Deborah Campbell
