There is a potential risk of
bacteria that cause food poisoning.
The kitchen towels used for
multi-purpose use can put your households at potential risk of bacteria that
cause food poisoning, say researchers.
The findings showed that the towels
used for wiping utensils, drying hands, holding hot
utensils, wiping/cleaning
surfaces, had a higher bacterial count.
Coliforms (Escherichia coli) were
found to be higher in towels, multipurpose towels and in towels from families
having non-vegetarian diets.
The presence of these potential
pathogens from the kitchen towels indicates that they could be responsible for
cross-contamination in the kitchen and could lead to food poisoning.
The family composition and hygienic
practices in the kitchen affected the microbial load of kitchen towels. The diet,
type of use and moist kitchen towels could be very important in promoting the
growth of potential pathogens responsible for food poisoning.
Further, S. aureus was isolated at a
higher rate from families of lower socio-economic status and those with
children.
Escherichia coli is a normal flora
of human intestine and it is released in large numbers in human feces. The
presence of Escherichia coli indicates possible fecal contamination and lack of
hygiene practices.
"The data indicated that
unhygienic practices while handling non-vegetarian food could be common in the
kitchen," Biranjia-Hurdoyal said.
For the study, presented at the
annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Georgia, the team
collected total of 100 kitchen towels after one month of use.
Out of these 49 percent had
bacterial growth which increased in number with extended family, presence on
children and increasing family size.
Humid towels and multipurpose usage
of kitchen towels should be discouraged. Bigger families with children and elderly
members should be especially vigilant to hygiene in the kitchen.
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