A new study suggests that picking up a dropped food within five seconds is valid. This provides evidence that the "five-second rule" which others presumed to be a myth has turned reality with actual scientific basis.
The five-second rule which states that bacterial contamination on a food dropped on the ground will only begin after five seconds. This idea has been debated by health experts because it's something that most people believe. An earlier study conducted by Jillian Clarke of the University of Illinois found that 56 percent of men and 70 percent of women knows about the rule. Their findings revealed that E.coli can contaminate the food in five seconds or less which means that the five-second rule isn't true.
However, a decade after a previous study, another group of researchers revisited this myth and concluded that the five-second rule is true.
Researchers from Aston University in England, led by microbiology professor Anthony Hilton, examined the germs being transferred to various foods when dropped on floors within five seconds. They tested the rule on dropped toast, pasta, cookie, and candy which they picked between 3 to 30 seconds. They specifically checked for the common bacteria E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Their findings revealed that the amount of bacterial contaminations is dependent on the time the food was left on the ground and the flooring where it was dropped. Bacterial contamination is least likely to occur when the food landed on the carpeted floor but most likely on a laminated or tiled floor after five seconds. The speed of initial contamination varies but both will occur after five seconds.
"Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time; however the findings of this study will bring some light relief to those who have been employing the five-second rule for years, despite a general consensus that it is purely a myth, Prof. Hilton warned in a university news release.
"We have found evidence that transfer from indoor flooring surfaces is incredibly poor with carpet actually posing the lowest risk of bacterial transfer onto dropped food," he added.
As of press time, this study is not yet published in any peer-reviewed journal.
