A beef tartare placed for too long on the table or a homemade mayonnaise left in the sun: this is how a simple error can spoil your vacation. Summer, heat is not just a pleasure, it is also an accelerator of bacteria. And certain foods do not forgive. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of True Medical, is sounding the alarm. At the slightest negligence, a food can become unfit for consumption. The problem does not only come from the product itself, but from the conditions in which it is kept, transported or prepared. Absolutely know to avoid food poisoning.
Foods that run the fastest in heat
Fresh cheeses, seafood, icy creams … We love them in summer, but these are the worst enemies of high temperatures. As soon as they leave the fridge, their degradation begins at high speed. Dr. Kierzek insists: “The more time passes after the preparation or opening of a food, the more the risk it turns increases“.
This risk is increased tenfold with certain particularly sensitive products such as:
- Raw meat (tartares, carpaccios): it can contain bacteria like salmonella or e. coli, and must imperatively stay below 4 ° C;
- Home or industrial mayonnaise started: without refrigeration, it becomes a real nest with bacteria;
- Seafood, shellfish and fish: these are the most frequently involved foods in summer toxi-infections;
- Cream pastries, non -pasteurized dairy products, raw milk: they quickly ferment if they are not cold and can turn;
- Holders and eggs: The cold chain must be scrupulously respected.
These foods should be consumed quickly after purchase or opening, and always kept below 4 ° C.
Factors that “turn” a food “
A food does not become dangerous suddenly, there are always trigger factors. And they are often the same: temperature, air, humidity … Dr. Kierzek details: “An inadequate temperature, especially between 4 ° C and 60 ° C, promotes microbial growth“, he warns. This” danger zone “is formidable: bacteria are multiplying at high speed. This is why leaving a dish in a car, on a terrace or even at room temperature for a few hours may be enough to make it unfit.
Another key factor: air exposure. “”Oxidation accelerates deterioration, especially if the food is not in an airtight container“, Adds the doctor. A meat left under plastic film ajected in the fridge can already start turning.
Humidity is the friend of mold. Mally ventilated fridge, badly covered remains, all of this promotes invisible but dangerous mushrooms. And we must not forget the cross contamination: “Contact with non-clean surfaces or utensils can introduce unwanted microorganisms“.
Errors that cost expensive
The situation becomes critical during friendly moments outdoors. A barbecue, a picnic or a lunch on the terrace are all opportunities where food remains for too long at room temperature. And sometimes, just 30 to 60 minutes under a blazing sun for a product turns.
Even at home, errors are frequent: fridge too full, poorly closed doors, remains forgotten in a non -hermetic box. The doctor recalls that certain foods do not prevent: “We do not see or still feel the moment when the food turns. It may seem normal but already contain millions of bacteria“.
To avoid any risk, a simple principle: cold is your best ally. As soon as a food seems doubtful or its conservation has not been optimal, it is better to part with it without hesitation.