MANILA, Philippines – You are eating your favorite fries on your office desk when suddenly, a crispy piece fell on the floor. You quickly pick up the grub and eat it satisfyingly believing that it is okay because you complied with the five-second rule anyway. But is the five-second rule really safe for you? Here is why you should think twice before picking up the next food that you’ll drop on the floor.
MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam conducted an experiment comparing the bacteria picked up by dry saltines and wet pastrami after they’ve been dropped on the floor for not less than three seconds. Result showed that the moist sausage scooped up more bacteria than the dry one. This just means that all types of food that fall on contaminated floor attracts bacteria, it just depends on the food moisture.
But food moisture is not just the determinant of the number of bacteria that could be attached on the food once it is dropped; floor surface also does. A study by Jillian Clarke, conducted in the food science and nutrition department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign placed cooking and gummy bears on two different types of floor surface, which is both sterile. After less than five seconds, result showed that the bacteria transfer has already taken place. This just establishes the fact that a clean-looking floor isn't necessarily clean and no matter how many times you clean the surface of the floor, colony of bacteria still stays on it.
Therefore, whatever the food may be, and whichever type of surface the food has been dropped, bacteria still contaminate your food in less than five seconds. The majority of bacteria transfer to the food immediately on impact. It just differs on how long the food has stayed on the floor - the longer the food was allowed commune with the floor, the more bacteria it accumulated.
Paul Dawson, a food scientist at Clemson University says “I stand by the zero-second rule.”
So the next time you are about to eat a sandwich you just dropped, remember the zero-second rule instead on the five-second rule.
Still skeptical about it? Watch video below: