Can scalding bowls and chopsticks really have a sterilizing effect? The test results tell you the answer, let's take a look!

There is a very interesting habit in Guangdong area before meals, which is to prepare a pot of freshly boiled water first, and you must use hot water to scald the tableware before starting to eat.

　　The reason why local residents form such a habit is mainly directly related to the local climate. Unlike the dry climate in the north, although the local temperature is high and the four seasons are like spring, the humidity is very high.

　　The weather with high temperature and high humidity is actually the most suitable environment for bacteria to breed. The authoritative data survey report shows that if the temperature is around 20~40°C and the humidity exceeds 15% , it will become a paradise for bacteria to breed, especially Escherichia coli breeds and reproduces extremely fast .

　　Therefore, affected by the climate, residents in Guangdong have developed the habit of rinsing tableware with boiling water , believing that this can kill bacteria and be more beneficial to gastrointestinal health.

　　However, can boiling water to scald bowls and chopsticks really have a sterilizing effect? Not necessarily!

　　In order to verify the effect of starting sterilization, in 2020, the Consumer Protection Committee of Shanghai conducted relevant experiments!

　　The researchers prepared 860 pairs of chopsticks of different materials and brands for professional testing. Among them, 600 pairs were brand new and never used , and 220 pairs were used chopsticks . After experiments, experts found that if the chopsticks are in a wet state, the amount of mold growing on them is more than 25% of that of dry chopsticks, which means that the wet environment is indeed conducive to the growth of mold;

　　The more wood and bamboo chopsticks, the longer the use time, the greater the possibility of mildew . In particular, chopsticks that have been used for more than 6 months will not only deform and gradually rot, but also become more prone to mold. Because of this, it is recommended that you keep your chopsticks in a dry environment and replace them with new chopsticks every three months.

　　In addition, the study also conducted related tests on boiling water for tableware and chopsticks. The results show that boiling water for tableware is just a comfort, but it has no practical significance.

　　Because the time for Cantonese people to wash tableware is very short, it is basically temporary . If bacterial microorganisms do exist, it is difficult to kill them completely. Under normal circumstances, no matter which disinfection method you use , bacteria can be killed only after more than 20 minutes.

Take Helicobacter pylori , which has 　　the highest infection rate in China , for example . It can be spread through shared meal systems and shared tableware . If you want to kill it with boiling water, the water temperature must reach at least 80 ° C , and the water temperature must be maintained for more than 10 minutes to kill.

The E. coli　　mentioned above , although it is the most vulnerable type of all bacteria, also needs to be killed at a high temperature of 75°C or more for more than 1 minute .

　　Therefore, rinsing the tableware with boiling water before eating is nothing more than a psychological comfort. What everyone really needs to do is to thoroughly clean the tableware and chopsticks. When going out, you should choose qualified tableware after disinfection.

　　In addition, you can also choose low self-esteem tableware and adopt a meal-sharing eating pattern to avoid the problem of bacterial infection.