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Food Safety

Poisoning

The following foods pose a risk of poisoning:

  • Unripe green tomatoes
  • Undercooked string beans (kidney beans), cowpeas (long beans), white kidney beans
  • Sprouted potatoes (yam), sweet potatoes, peanuts
  • Improperly processed or undercooked daylily can lead to colchicine poisoning
  • Raw soy milk
  • Wood ear mushrooms soaked for too long (not just wood ear mushrooms; all fungi soaked for too long pose a poisoning risk)
  • Undercooked animal offal
  • Unidentifiable mushrooms or undercooked mushrooms (There is a proverb: "Red cap, white stem, everyone lies in a coffin after eating." Generally, the more beautiful the mushroom, the more dangerous it is.)
  • …… (Contributions welcome)

Storing and cooking acidic foods in aluminum containers for extended periods also poses a risk of poisoning, such as:

  • Sauerkraut
  • Dried bamboo shoots
  • Tomato sauce
  • Lemon juice
  • Braised meat
  • Soy sauce and pickled vegetables
  • …… (Contributions welcome)

Allergies

The following are common allergenic foods (Note: Allergic reactions are generally lifelong):

Adults:

  • Shrimp, crab, shellfish and other seafood (seafood that has spoiled and bred bacteria due to lack of freshness)
  • Peanuts
  • Nuts
  • Fish

Children:

  • Peanuts
  • Nuts
  • Eggs
  • Milk (primarily intolerance to A1 protein in milk)
  • Wheat and soybeans

Salmonella Infection

Salmonella is commonly found in animal-derived foods, including vegetables, which may contain Salmonella due to fecal contamination.

The following foods pose a risk of Salmonella infection:

  • Eggs not fully cooked
  • Meat not fully cooked
  • Unpasteurized milk

Aflatoxin

Aflatoxin is produced by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and other molds in moldy grains such as rice, beans, and peanuts. It is currently the most potent carcinogen known. It begins to decompose only when heated above 280°C, so ordinary cooking methods are unlikely to destroy its structure.

The following foods pose a risk of aflatoxin poisoning:

  • Rotten peanuts
  • Rotten rice
  • Rotten corn

Note that the above foods also include their corresponding products, such as rice noodles and cornmeal. Peanut sprouts (sprouted peanuts) produced through safe cultivation can be considered safe for consumption.

3-Nitropropionic Acid

3-nitropropionic acid is produced by the fungus Arthrinium saccharicola, which commonly parasitizes sugarcane and coconuts. The main manifestation of poisoning is damage to the central nervous system. Symptoms in the acute phase include vomiting, dizziness, paroxysmal convulsions, lateral gaze deviation, coma, and even death. The sequelae are primarily damage to the extrapyramidal system, with main symptoms such as flexion, torsion, spasms, limb rigidity, and reduced tone at rest. There is currently no specific antidote for this toxin.

The following foods pose a risk of 3-nitropropionic acid poisoning:

In addition to visual appearance, smell is also an important criterion for evaluation. Spoiled plants often emit a distinctive odor (such as a fermented wine lees smell or sourness). The best way to handle food that smells spoiled is to discard it.

Parasites

Parasites can enter the human body through the air, drinking water, food, and direct contact. If parasites enter the bloodstream, they can attack white blood cells and reach organs such as the lungs and liver, or block blood vessels or lymphatic channels, causing diseases such as liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and elephantiasis. If humans serve as intermediate hosts for the pork tapeworm, the parasites can even reach the eyes, heart, and brain, endangering life.

The following foods should be ensured to be thoroughly cooked; otherwise, corresponding parasites may remain in the body:

  • River snails: Angiostrongylus cantonensis
  • Sashimi: Liver fluke
  • Eels: Gnathostoma spinigerum
  • Bullfrogs: Sparganum mansoni
  • Pork: Pork tapeworm
  • Surface of beef (safe to eat as long as the surface is cooked): Beef tapeworm

Food Safety Temperatures

Heating food to sufficient temperatures and maintaining them for a certain period can reduce the risk of bacteria and parasites surviving to some extent. Different types of food have different temperature requirements. Cooks should use a kitchen thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the food.

Measurement tools should include: Kitchen thermometer Measure the internal temperature of the food

The following are industry-standard food safety temperatures:

Whole cut Ground meat Whole bird
Pork 71°C 71°C
Poultry 74°C 74°C 85°C
Beef/Lamb Medium-rare: 63°C; Medium: 71°C; Well-done: 77°C 71°C
Reheating leftovers 74°C

Food-Drug Interactions

Combining certain foods with medications can lead to serious safety risks. The following are examples of behaviors with safety risks:

  • Cephalosporins and alcohol
  • (Contributions welcome...)