Haven for bacteria in your kitchen
THE HUMBLE kitchen towels that are used for multiple tasks can put your household at risk food poisoning, researchers say.
Their findings showed that the towels used for wiping utensils, drying hands, holding hot utensils and wiping or cleaning surfaces, had a high bacterial count. Coliforms (Escherichia coli) was found to be higher in moist towels, multipurpose towels and in towels from families having non-vegetarian diets.
The presence of the potential pathogens indicates that they could be responsible for cross-contamination in the kitchen and could lead to food poisoning.
“The family composition and hygienic practices in the kitchen affected the microbial load of kitchen towels,” said lead research author Susheela Biranjia-Hurdoyal, a senior lecturer at the University of Mauritius. “Diet, type of use and moist kitchen towels could be very important in promoting the growth of potential pathogens responsible for food poisoning.”
Further, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated at a higher rate in towels from families of lower socio-economic status and those with children. Coliform and S aureus had a higher prevalence in families with non-vegetarian diets.
Escherichia coli is a normal flora of the human intestine and it is released in large numbers in human faeces. Its presence indicates possible faecal contamination and lack of hygiene practices.
For the study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Georgia, the team collected 100 kitchen towels after a month of use.
Out of those, 49% had bacterial growth which increased with extended families, the presence of children and bigger families. Out of those, 49 samples tested positive for bacterial growth, 36.7% grew coliforms, 36.7% Enterococcus spp and 14.3% S aureus. – IANS