Salmonella, listeria, staphylococcus – who else inhabits your refrigerator

Even high-quality food products can become the cause of an intestinal infection if they are stored in a dirty refrigerator.

Or they are simply incorrectly stored in it. Most people don’t even suspect that some causeless intestinal disorder can “come” from the refrigerator.

Hygienists have repeatedly conducted special studies by taking samples from the surface of refrigerators of families with a fairly good social status. As a result, they discovered something very interesting and even unusual.

The presence of Escherichia coli was no surprise, nor was salmonella, but from where in the refrigerator could Staphylococcus aureus appear? But this bacterium was found there. Listeria, yersinia and of course mold were also identified.

Unfamiliar people usually have 2 questions – they wonder how bacteria can get into the refrigerator and how they survive the low temperatures. And they fall and survive and even reproduce, albeit at a slower pace.

This has already been proven. In our refrigerators, the temperatures are not so low that microorganisms can die.

How do bacteria get into the fridge?

Very easy. If you brought a chicken from the store and put it directly on one of the shelves of the refrigerator. If there is salmonella in the chicken, it is also in its juices, and so the bacteria can get into sausages, cottage cheese and other ready-to-eat products that we simply eat without baking or cooking them.

In this case, the microwave oven is extremely useful, as most microbes are killed by microwaves.

And although for a very long time this household appliance was declared dangerous to health, it has recently been rehabilitated for the very reason that it destroys most of the dangerous bacteria contained in food products.

Even in the microwave we can sterilize to some extent the dirty kitchen sponge that we use to wash the dishes.

Listeria multiplies most often in uneaten food, for example in salad, sliced ​​sausages, in other appetizers, for example, etc.

Escherichia coli can be found on all food products that have not been washed – on meat, vegetables, fruits and especially green leafy vegetables, which are almost always contaminated with soil.

Staphylococcus also prefers dirty food products, but it prefers uneaten food and when, for example, several foods are piled on one plate.
Unlike pathogenic bacteria, mold can be seen with the naked eye, and fungal spores there are almost everywhere.

How to properly store the products?

It is better not to put raw chickens and meat in the refrigerator at all. Having purchased and brought them, we must immediately cook them. But if you still need to keep these food products cool until the evening, then it is good to put them in a bowl and cover the top with cling film.

Eggs should also be washed before being refrigerated as salmonella may be present on the shell.

With the rest of the food products, it is easier – ready-made on one side, raw on the other. They should not be stored together. And most importantly, each product needs to be tightly wrapped.

How to properly wash the refrigerator?

Since all the soaps that are used in the household have an alkaline Ph, they destroy the bacteria. However, the aqueous solution with soda has a stronger effect. You need to put 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a liter of warm water, shake and your refrigerator cleaner is ready.