Are you hitting the weekend all cramped up and feeling nauseous? It may be something you ate…
As a teenager, you tend to eat with the nutritional concern of, well, let’s say… a teenager! And for many teens, given the rigorous demands of school, homework, socializing and prepping for college, “nutrition” often means downsizing from a large bag of chips to a medium one. Ok, so you probably don’t always eat the varied, nutritious foods doctors say you need to fuel your activities and growth. But even nutritious foods can be dangerous if they have been handled improperly.
Illnesses resulting from improperly handled foods are known as foodborne illnesses. Although the U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world, foodborne illnesses affect millions of people every year, causing thousands to die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When Friday night rolls around, you want to see your friends; you don’t want to be home, miserable and no more than a few steps from the bathroom. A little microbiology and chlorine chemistry will go a long way to helping you understand how to avoid foodborne illness.
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Living with an Invisible World We know, for example, that an army of bacteria in the human gut is essential to digesting food. Other “good bacteria” inhabiting human skin probably play a protective role that limits the ability of “bad bacteria” to gain a stronghold on the skin. Humans have learned, perhaps in some cases by accident, to use certain microbes to their benefit. Bacteria, for example are used to help produce many of the foods we enjoy. Yeast bacteria make bread light and airy. Other forms of bacteria ripen cheeses and turn milk into yogurt. But microbes can also spoil foods and lead to foodborne disease. Understanding why food spoilage occurs can help you avoid it. |
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Recipe for Food Disaster
Food spoilage requires (a) microbes to infect food, and (b) environmental conditions, especially temperature and time, that permit microbes to grow. Given the opportunity to infect foods, spoilage occurs as the microbes either use the food to grow (competing with you for your food), or as they release their waste products into your food (yes, your plate as their bathroom).
To minimize the presence of harmful microbes in foods, it is important to avoid cross-contamination: spreading germs from one food, utensil or preparation surface to another. Raw meat, raw poultry, eggs and seafood and their juices should be kept away from ready-to-eat foods. For example, when barbecuing never place cooked hamburgers on a plate that previously held raw hamburgers, unless the plate has been thoroughly cleaned between uses.
Wash cutting boards, utensils and counter tops with hot, soapy water after cutting raw meat and poultry products. Washing hands before and after handling foods is also a critical step in halting the spread of foodborne germs.
The Temperature and Time Factors
Because the low temperatures of the refrigerator discourage the growth of many harmful microbes, it is important to refrigerate perishable foods promptly within two 
hours of purchasing or preparing foods. Left unrefrigerated for more than two hours, foods can become breeding grounds for germs that can make you sick. Picnic food may spoil even more quickly when outdoor temperatures rise. And left-overs from the fridge should be thrown away after two to three days.
Thaw foods in the refrigerator or microwave to minimize the risk of spoilage during thawing. Take the time to cook meats to the proper temperatures (see link). These temperatures help assure that microbes found in raw meats will be destroyed.
And pay attention to the dates on food packaging at home and when purchasing foods. If you’re not sure about the freshness of a product, use the old rule of thumb: If in doubt, throw it out!
The Chlorine Chemistry Factor 
Chlorine disinfectants are a major ally in the battle against foodborne germs. Approved for use in industrial food production by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, chlorine disinfectants work by chemically penetrating germ cell walls and membranes. Chlorine chemistry literally busts germ cells open, leaving them powerless to reproduce.
At home, dilute solutions of chlorine laundry bleach can be used to reduce the risk of cross-contaminating foods by sanitizing food preparation surfaces such as countertops, utensils and kitchen sponges (see tips). It’s cheap, widely available and an effective germ-buster against many kinds of common microbes.
In the struggle for safe foods, it’s us against the microbes. Foodborne disease risks are worth understanding – your weekend plans could depend on it.
Learn more about how Chlorine Chemistry is essential2life.
