Today, with a focus on health and hygiene, antibacterial products gradually enter public view, and antibacterial foods are more popular. Some businesses claim that antibacterial foods can forever stop bacteria from growing, and many consumers are convinced that this is a mistake.
Antibacterial principles and limitations
Antibacterial foods typically inhibit bacterial growth by adding antibacterial agents to materials, commonly with silver ions, etc. Silver ions can destroy the bacteria ‘ membrane and cell walls and prevent metabolism, thus achieving anti-bacterial effects. But this antibacterial effect is not once and for all. First, antibacterial resistance to antibacterials is limited and decreases over time and with increasing frequency of use. For example, through repeated washing, wear and tear, and exposure to food, antibacterials can be slowly lost and their antibacterial effects significantly reduced. Secondly, antibacterial foods are mainly for specific bacteria, and for some resistant bacteria or bacteria that have mutated in special circumstances, their antibacterial effects may be negligible and it is impossible to eliminate all bacteria forever.
Bacteriological sources in actual use
Even with the use of anti-bacterial dishes, bacteria still have many ways to reach them in everyday life. In the course of meals, bacteria in the air sink to the utensils; when people’s hands touch the utensils after they touch various objects, they pass over a large amount of bacteria carried on their hands, such as common bacteria such as coli and yellow grapes. Moreover, if the utensils are humid and the temperature is appropriate, it is precisely the hotbed for bacteria to breed, and even if the utensils themselves are anti-bacterial, it is difficult to resist a continuous flow of bacteria. For example, when used antibacterial food sets are randomly stacked by uncleaned ponds, the surrounding water stains and residual food residues breed a large amount of bacteria, which will soon be contaminated.
The need for cleaning.
Cleaning is also essential for anti-bacterial dishes. Regular cleaning can remove food residues, oil pollution and bacteria from the surface of the meal, and prevent the bacteria from proliferating on the meal and forming biofilms. Once formed, biofilms not only reduce the antibacterial effects of antibacterial foods, but also make bacteria more difficult to remove and increase health risks. The cleaning of anti-bacterial foods using detergent and hot water can be effective in removing most bacteria and dirt, combined with periodic high-temperature disinfection, such as boiling or placement in a disinfection cabinet, and can further guarantee the hygiene of the foods. For example, in the case of antibacterial dishes commonly used in households, if the meal is followed by a simple wipe without thorough cleaning, the food left on the plate breeds bacteria, and even if the meal is antibacterial, it does not prevent bacteria from growing on the food left over, for a long period of time, and the number of bacteria increases dramatically and poses a threat to human health.
Getting the antibacterial food right.
Consumers should be properly aware of the role of anti-bacterial devices and should not rely disproportionately on their anti-bacterial properties to ignore basic hygiene practices. When buying antibacterial foods, products of reliable quality and in accordance with national standards are selected, while it is understood that antibacterial foods only reduce to some extent the potential for bacteria to breed, not eliminate bacteria altogether. In daily life, good personal hygiene practices, such as hand washing before and after meals, regular cleaning and disinfection of meals, and the creation of a dry and clean storage environment for meals, combined with the use of anti-bacterial foods, can be truly effective in ensuring food hygiene and protecting the health of us and our families.
In any case, anti-bacterial foods have some advantages, but “never stop the growth of bacteria” is nothing more than an exaggerated commercial propaganda. We need to look rationally at the scientific use and maintenance of the utensils, so that the antibacterial utensils play their rightful role within a reasonable range, rather than fall into unrealistic error zones.
