Who hasn?t tried to salvage a mouthwatering morsel tragically lost to a germ-covered floor by blurting ?FIVE-SECOND RULE!? before diving to the rescue? Even the most intelligent among us might be apt to cite the tenet with the fervor of an emergency responder. But let?s face it: the chances that some magical cut-off of five seconds will spare food from irreparable defiling was always far-fetched. Still, if you need hard-hitting evidence, researchers have now provided a comprehensive study that proves the rule is down for the count.
After analyzing several floor materials, food types, contamination methods, and resting times, researchers at Rutgers show conclusively that food can easily become contaminated in less than five seconds. In fact, contamination may take less than one second in some scenarios. In a small consolation, the researchers note that the general theory behind the debunked rule?that longer resting time on a contaminated surface will increase contamination?stands.
?Our data clearly showed that contact time does influence bacterial transfer, with more bacteria transferred at longer times,? food scientists Robyn Miranda and Donald Schaffner report in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. However, they conclude ?that other factors including the nature of the food and the surface are of equal or greater importance.? And in the end ?some transfer takes place ?instantaneously? at times <1 s, disproving the ?five second rule.??
The study isn?t the first to quash the popular rule. A few other small studies and experiments?one published, one not, and one on the TV show Mythbusters?have proven that certain foods dropped on particular surfaces can become contaminated in fewer than five seconds. But the authors of the current study wanted to crush the rule ?in an extensive and comprehensive manner? and completely tease out the factors of cross-contamination.
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