1. Overnight Salads: A Bacterial Breeding Ground
When kept in the refrigerator, cold foods like overnight salads—especially those with a high water content, such pickled cucumbers or black fungus mushrooms—may appear innocuous. However, Listeria monocytogenes can grow considerably if refrigerated for more than 12 hours.
At refrigerator temperatures (around 4°C/39°F), Listeria can live and even multiply, causing anything from minor gastroenteritis to potentially fatal illnesses like meningitis.
Advice: Cold foods should be consumed right away after being prepared. It is safer to throw away any leftovers than to run the danger of contamination.
2. Repeatedly Thawed Meat: A Can:cer Catalyst
Meat emits a lot of cell fluid each time it is taken out of the freezer and thawed. This damp surface is ideal for the growth of germs such as Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus.
Cooking does not completely remove the heat-resistant poisons produced by these microorganisms. Repetitive consumption of this type of meat can result in chronic gastritis, which can eventually develop into precancerous stomach lesions.
Advice: Only thaw the amount you intend to use. Meat that has been thawed should never be refrozen.
3. Moldy Fruit: Aflatoxin Bo:mbs
A common misconception is that you can just cut off the moldy portion of fruit and still consume the remaining portion. In reality, once mold is visible, the mycotoxins and mold filaments have already spread throughout the fruit.
For instance, even if other fruits in the vicinity may seem uncontaminated, a single moldy apple can release enough patulin to contaminate them. Aflatoxin and patulin are strong carcinogens that cannot be totally removed by boiling, even for 20 minutes at 100°C.
Tip: Throw out the entire fruit as soon as mold appears. Don’t take risks with your health.
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