DEBUNKING THE FIVE SECOND RULE
Have you dropped food on the floor? Then lunged for it, trying to catch it before your five seconds were up? Before popping it in your 15, Perhaps you brushed off it for good measure? Because floor time means exposure right? Wrong. You, my friend, have fallen prey to one of the earliest (and grossest) food handling rules ever.
THE “KHAN RULE”
How did the rule begin? The first reference to morsels dropped to 1995 on the floor within a length of time dates. Having said that, the basis for this concept goes back to the annals of history. In the publication Did You Just Eat That? By food scientist Paul Dawson and food microbiologist Brian Sheldon, they attribute the five-second rule on Genghis Khan.
The 12th-century Mongol leader enacted the”Khan Rule” in banquets. It went something like this. Food that dropped on the floor was great to eat however long it sat there. Why? Because the Khan was ready for by any foods that were good enough. What happened to stated victuals into the plate on the way from the kitchen. (Chef Ramsey would have a field day with this…)
Portrait of Genghis Khan
Needless to say, it would be another six centuries or so before germ theory could begin to grow in Europe and outside. We will need to offer a break to Genghis. So far as the Mongols (and other medieval folks ) were worried, dusting away visible dirt particles made food palatable once again.
GERM THEORY AND POTATO PANCAKES
In the 19th century, the world shocked by his discovery of germs crucial to the souring of milk and wine’s fermentation. Germ theory evolved from there using an unsavory revelation that germs are anyplace.
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Nonetheless, the”Khan Rule” has persisted in contemporary culture. A 1963 episode of Julia Child’s cooking series The French Chef, farther canonized the centuries-old practice. Childs missed while trying to turn a potato pancake during one of her shows, and the pancake ended up on the stovetop.
There, the pancake sat for about four minutes prior to it was tossed by Childs back. Although further exposure to warmth would help kill germs transferred to the surface of the pancake throughout the autumn, people latched onto the concept of quickly picking up food to”save it” Even when re-heating proved from the question.
SCIENCE DEBUNKS THE FIVE-SECOND RULE
In 2016, Professor Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, announced the results of a two-year study to the sensationalized five-second rule. The conclusion? No matter how quickly food that’s dropped on the ground is rescued by you, it will be contaminated by bacteria. The transfer of bacteria to a surface can occur instantaneously. Of course that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cite surface cross-contamination as the sixth most common contributing factor to outbreaks of food-borne disease!
Salmonella bacteria growing in a petri dish
Having said that, a few elements determine the number of bacteria transferred from the ground to a food thing. These include the consistency of the food, the feel of the surface, and the amount of time the food stays on the ground. Schaffer, together with a master’s thesis student, Robyn C. Miranda, used buttered bread, buttered bread, strawberry candy gum, and watermelon pieces for the experimentation. They dropped each material from a height of five inches on surfaces comprising bacteria much like salmonella. The flooring types contained stainless steel, wood, carpet, and ceramic tile.
After dropping food items on every surface, they analyzed four touch occasions: one, five, 30, and 300 minutes. Each fall was replicated 20 times, leading to 2,560 distinct measurements. The outcome? While there was some validity to the concept that food recovered more quickly from the floor comprises fewer bacteria, no dropped food escaped contamination.
DROPPING THE TRUTH
The surface, the food dropped to have an effect on overall bacterial levels. The carpet had the transmission rate of bacteria in contrast to the surfaces. The surface area for vulnerability reduces.
The consistency of the food played a role. After all, microorganisms do not have legs. Rather than hoofing it on a surface that is fresh, they need moisture to help them move. So, watermelon, definitely, proved the best germ magnet. It is worth mentioning that all of the food materials tested were contaminated during their drops. And, frankly, do you need to have fun with any vulnerability to foodborne illnesses like salmonella, E. coli, or listeria? We do not think so.
The moral of this story? Just because germs are out of sight and out of mind, does not mean that you should pick up that dropped M&M (or anything else) and nosh on it. Stop the countdown and discover a trash can.
Facts Check: True
