The scene is common: a piece of food slips from your hands and finds its destination on the floor. In an almost automatic gesture, many of us pick up food from the floor, give it a “blow” and consider it ready for consumption.
But "five second rule", which suggests that this time interval is safe to avoid contamination by germs, is about to be demystified by scientists. Understand better below!
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The concept of “five second rule” is based on the idea that if food on the ground is picked up before five seconds, it will be free of harmful germs.
However, scientific research has questioned the validity of this concept which is actually a popular belief passed down from generation to generation rather than scientifically proven fact.
In a study conducted in 2006, scientists found that the bacteria Salmonellait can be transferred from the ground to food in a matter of seconds, invalidating the notion that time is a determining factor.
Contamination of different foods was examined in this study. Surprisingly, contamination occurred almost immediately, contradicting popular belief.
(Image: publicity)
Furthermore, the analysis revealed that flatter, wetter foods such as watermelon were more susceptible to contamination. Gelatin candies were the least contaminated, possibly due to their uneven surface.
Recently, a new group of scientists has revisited the 2006 study, raising the importance of food type in the five-second rule.
Although this variable is not the only determinant, the results suggest that no type of food is immune to germ contamination after contact with the floor.
An important factor in contamination is the amount of bacteria present on the surface. As many microorganisms are not visible to the naked eye, it becomes impossible for people to assess contamination levels just by looking at the ground.
The five-second rule cannot be definitively confirmed or discarded. There are a number of variables that can interfere with this process, altering the results.
The choice to consume or discard the food that fell to the ground remains a personal one, but science suggests that the safest option is to opt for the garbage rather than risk ingesting possible germs harmful.
So while the “five-second rule” may be conveniently applied, scientific wisdom suggests that it is more prudent not to underestimate the risks associated with food that comes into contact with the floor.