Good Lifestyle

Regarding the most filled places of germs in your home, Your bathroom Probably comes to mind first. But this is not the only place where bacteria like to come together: your kitchen also houses many potential contaminants. In fact, according to a "germinal study" conducted by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) in 2011, more than 75% of sponges and dish rags were contaminated by Salmonella ,, E. coli , and the fecal material, while only 9% of bathroom faucet handles were tested positive for these same bacteria. Yikes.

Although this does not surprise you to hear that your kitchen sponge is loaded with germs - which has been widely reported For years - a recent study highlights another common kitchen article to be wary of: your spice rack. Read the rest to find out why even the authors of the study were surprised by their results, and how you can prevent your spice jars from making you sick.

Read this then: What happens when you don't wash your sheets every week, doctors say .

Even if you've been proud to keep a tidy kitchen, the germs probably prosper while you read this. The NSF study revealed that "three of the first five hot spots of germs In the house, was actually in the kitchen. ""

These include sponges and rags of aforementioned dishes, your kitchen sink and the reservoir of your coffee maker. (If you keep your pet's food and water bowls in the kitchen, you can make four on five hot spots.)

Which makes kitchens such environments adapted to germs ? "There are bacteria in food, and touch it can spread it to other surfaces and potentially cause a disease", specialist in infectious diseases Susan Rehm , MD, told Cleveland Clinic. "Current bacteria found in the kitchen include E.coli ,, Salmonella ,, Shigella ,, Campylobacter , Norovirus and hepatitis A. "

Their experts noted that while E. coli and Salmonella Live only on surfaces for a few hours, "hepatitis A can survive for months."

A study commissioned by the food security and inspection service of the Department of Agriculture and published in a issue in September 2022 of the Journal of Food Protection I looked at which kitchen items were subject to the most crossed contamination when people have prepared experienced turkey burgers and pre-made salads in a variety of different spaces, small apartment kitchens with large kitchens 'education.

The burgers contained an harmless bacteria, used as a replacement for Norovirus, in order to retrace contamination. Scientists escaped 12 different surfaces, from the utensils, after the meals were ready.

The results? While most of the surfaces have been tested positive for trash bacteria 10 to 20% of the time, 48% of the spice jars used during the preparation of the hamburger were tested positive for the pseudo-norovirus.

"We hadn't seen Proof of contamination of spice containers Before, "principal researcher Donald Schaffner , a professor in the Department of Food Sciences at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, told Food Safety News. "Most research on the cross -contamination of kitchen surfaces due to the handling of raw meat or poultry products have been concentrated on cutting boards or tap handles and have neglected surfaces like containers of spices, trash lids and other kitchen utensils. "

For more health information sent directly to your reception box, Register for our daily newsletter .

As expected, the cutting boards proved to be the second most contaminated surface researchers, while the covers of the trash cans arrived in third place. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Researchers think that higher concentrations of bacteria on spice pots (as well as cutting boards and trash cans) could be due to their proximity to the region in which the manipulation of the turkey pancake has occurred, The lack of attempts made to wash your hands between manipulation of handling the handling of the ground dinge and sealing of pancakes with spices, the lack of attempts made to clean or disinfect the spice containers after handling, And the high number of times the containers have been manipulated, "they wrote in the study.

Take the price for the least contaminated areas? "The notable exceptions were the handle of the refrigerator and the surfaces of the inner sink, which were positive less than 10% of the time."

If the study will find, take a deep inspiration - it is not necessary to swear spices and to resign yourself to make bland food forever. The simple fact of washing your hands frequently is probably enough to keep you, you and your digestive tract, out of damage.

"When you have finished managing a turkey pancake, you have to wash your hands before you Enter this spice jar , " Benjamin Chapman , head of the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences of the North Carolina State University and the main author of the study, said The Washington Post . He also noted that experienced hamburgers, that the cooks of the experience were to train by hand, were specifically chosen for the study because they are a "worst case".

Are you still worried about getting sick of the germs that set up in your spice carrier? Chapman suggested wiping your spice jars with a soapy cloth and a disinfectant kitchen spray after using them.