Salmonella can be living on your spice container!
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Salmonella can live on your spice container! Research shows that small bottles can be overlooked as sources of contamination
- Many people neglect to clean their spice containers after cooking
- This can lead to the articles being contaminated with bacteria such as salmonella
- A study shows that half of the spice containers are contaminated after cooking poultry
- Researchers note the containers could be a hidden cause of bacterial disease
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Germs that cause diseases like salmonella can hide on your spice container.
Researchers at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, found that spice containers are by far the kitchen item most likely to become contaminated after cooking.
In one experiment, nearly half of the spice containers were found to be contaminated after a person used them while cooking.
They think this is because many will take care of cleaning dishes and cutlery – they may neglect to wash their spice containers after they are done.
These containers can easily become contaminated after a person touches chicken, turkey, or other contaminated product before handling it for use.
Other commonly contaminated surfaces included refrigerator handles, trash can lids, and cutting boards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that there are 1.35 million Salmonella infections in the US each year – including 420 deaths.
Nearly half of the spice containers, 48 percent, were found to be contaminated after a person finished cooking. This was by far the most of all items used.
A person may fail to clean their spice containers after cooking, instead only washing utensils and other dishes (file photo)
Researchers published their findings last week in the Journal of Food Protection.
They gathered 317 adults to cook an identical turkey burger meal in different sized kitchens.
Some used a small space the size of an apartment, while others had a large industrial kitchen to work with.
The participants were not informed that their kitchen space would later be tested for contamination.
The ground turkey used for the meal had been pre-inoculated to contain a chemical that would act similarly to salmonella when contaminating an area.
Afterwards, kitchens were cleaned to test for the presence of the Salmonella stand-in.
The object with the most common contamination was by far the spice containers. Almost half, 48 percent, of them turned out to have the substance.
Just over 20 percent of soap dispensers were found to be contaminated. No other object was contaminated in more than one in five simulations.
dr. Donald Schaffner, a professor at Rutgers who co-authored the study, explained that many home cooks may forget to wipe the containers after use.
“In addition to more obvious surfaces such as cutting boards, garbage can lids and refrigerator handles, there is one more thing to keep in mind if you’re trying to be clean and hygienic in your kitchen,” he said in a statement.
Our research shows that any spice container you touch while cooking raw meat can get cross-contamination.
‘You want to be aware of that during or after meal preparation.’
Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne illnesses. The bacterial infection is often transmitted through poultry.
While not every poultry product carries the bacteria, it’s common enough that experts warn against undercooked poultry meat.
When cooked properly, the bacteria on meat will be killed.
The CDC reports 1.35 million cases per year, although many are mild or asymptomatic.
More than 25,000 are serious enough to require hospitalization and the bacterial infection is responsible for 420 deaths each year.