Once again, TikTok has spurred intense conversations relating to food safety. In recent weeks, a 2008 news story resurfaced on the social media platform, terrifying users about the dangers of eating reheated leftover starches, particularly rice and pasta. On TikTok, it’s referred to as “fried rice syndrome.” Originally published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the story focused on the death of a Brussels-based student following his consumption of a plate of meal-prepped spaghetti that he supposedly cooked Sunday, left out, and five days later reheated and ate it. In the case of the Brussels student, the illness was food poisoning caused by the Bacillus cereus bacterium. Found throughout the environment in its dormant, spore form, the microorganism doesn’t usually cause an illness, explained Ellen Shumaker, a food safety expert at North Carolina State University. The non-germinated organism is often seen in soil and starchy food. According to Shumaker, it is mostly associated with cooked rice, hence the syndrome’s name. Once cooked, the spores can germinate, become active, and start creating toxins. “Eating the toxin is what makes people sick,” Shumaker said. The organism survives the cooking process and then grows in foods not properly refrigerated quickly. Once the organism reaches relatively high concentrations, it can cause illness through infection or the formation of a heat-stable toxin. The spores generally germinate when the food sits in what Shumaker defines as “the temperature danger zone,” between 4 and 60 degrees Celsius. “To avoid bacteria growth, it is recommended to keep foods out of this temperature range for longer than four hours,” she said. It’s important to note that although the germination process may kick off during cooking time, it continues while the food sits at room temperature. Once cooked, the food is ripe ground for spore germination — unless the dish is immediately put into the fridge, which would stop the multiplication of the active bacteria. “It is recommended to divide large portions of hot food into shallow containers to allow it to cool more quickly before putting it into the fridge,” she advised. “Also, make sure that the fridge is below 5 degrees Celsius.” Generally speaking, “fried rice syndrome” symptoms are similar to those seen in reaction to other types of food poisoning, such as vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps and the like. Although there is no medicine to take when the syndrome is incurred, the most important way to stay healthy and combat it, say the experts, is to stay hydrated. (SD-Agencies) TikTok再次引发了有关食品安全的激烈讨论。最近几周,一则 2008 年的旧闻再次出现在TikTok上,让用户对食用重新加热的淀粉食物(尤其是米饭和面食)可能造成的危害感到恐惧。这在TikTok上被称为“炒饭综合症”。 这篇报道最初发表在《临床微生物学杂志》上,讲述了一名布鲁塞尔学生在食用了一盘预制意面后死亡的事件,据说他某个周日煮了一盘意面,放在外面,五天后重新加热食用,结果意面中的蜡样芽孢杆菌引起了食物中毒。 北卡罗来纳州立大学食品安全专家艾伦•舒梅克解释说,这种微生物以休眠孢子的形式存在于整个环境中,通常不会引起疾病。 这种休眠微生物经常存在于土壤和淀粉类食物中。根据舒梅克的说法,它主要和熟米饭有关,因此也被称为“炒饭综合症”。 一旦煮熟,孢子就会发芽、活跃并开始产生毒素。“吃了这种毒素,人就会生病,”舒梅克说。 这种有机物在烹饪过程中存活下来,然后在没有适当冷藏的食物中迅速繁殖。一旦达到相对较高的浓度,就会形成热稳定毒素而致病。 舒梅克说,孢子一般在食物处于“温度危险区”(4至60摄氏度)时萌发。她说:“为避免细菌滋生,建议食物放置在这个温度区间内勿超过四个小时。” 值得注意的是,虽然在烹饪过程中孢子开始发芽,但食物在室温下放置时过程仍在继续。 一旦煮熟,食物就成为孢子发芽的成熟土壤 —— 除非立即将菜肴放入冰箱,这样就能阻止活性细菌的繁殖。她建议说:“可以将大份量的热食分装在浅容器中,以便在放入冰箱前快速冷却。另外,确保冰箱温度低于5摄氏度。” 一般来说,“炒饭综合征”的症状与其他类型食物中毒相似,如呕吐、腹泻、恶心、腹部绞痛等。专家表示,虽然发生“炒饭综合征 ”时没有药物可以服用,但保持健康和对抗“炒饭综合征”最重要的一点就是补充水分。(Translated by Debra) |