With summer comes increased risk of foodborne illnesses. According to statistics from the Food and Drug Administration, cases of food poisoning peak from May to October. However, there are several tips for preserving food that can help people stay away from illness while enjoying great food, according to Nutritionist Liu Pei-feng of Chi Mei Hospital’s department of nutriology.
Liu points out that bacteria tend to grow faster in Taiwan due to the humidity and high temperatures. The rich nutrition in food, which often consists of carbohydrate and protein, supply the bacteria with the nutrients they need to multiply, making food rot more quickly.
Temperatures between 5 and 60 degrees Celsius are most suitable for bacterial growth. At temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, bacteria grow very slowly, and at temperatures below -18 degrees Celsius they stop growing altogether, Liu says.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者林惠琴
Liu also notes the importance of not storing food for too long. For example, even when properly chilled, fish can stay fresh for only one to two days, while refrigerated eggs will remain good for 15 days. Meanwhile, cooked food must be eaten or refrigerated after two hours. Cooked food that has been left at room temperature for over four hours must be properly reheated before being eaten, or disposed of.
Cooked food and raw food should be placed in the fridge separately, with cooked food on top and raw food on the bottom, to prevent cross contamination.
(Liberty Times, translated by Tu Yu-an)
夏天到了容易吃壞肚子,根據食藥署的歷年統計資料,五到十月為食物中毒的高峰期。奇美醫學中心營養科營養師劉珮芬提供食品保存小技巧,讓民眾在享受美食之餘,也能吃得健康。
劉珮芬指出,因台灣高溫潮濕,加上大多食品含有碳水化合物和蛋白質等營養物質,富含細菌生長所需的養分,讓細菌繁殖速度加快,食品容易腐壞。
劉珮芬說,攝氏五到六十為最適合細菌生長的溫度,冷藏攝氏五度以下可抑制病原菌生長,攝氏負十八度以下病原菌則無法繁殖。
劉佩芬也提醒,要注意食物的保存期限,例如魚類冷藏僅能存放一到兩天、雞蛋可冷藏十五天。另外,烹煮好的食物兩小時內要食用完畢或放置冷藏保存。若烹煮好的食物在室溫下超過四小時,則建議食用前充分加熱或直接丟棄。
最後是生、熟食在冰箱內應分開存放,將熟食放於最上層,生食放於下層,避免交叉污染。
(自由時報記者黃文瑜)
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