Why can cow meat be cooked poorly passed but chicken? Food microbiologists explain how to ensure that different proteins, such as cow, chicken and pork, should be prepared safely.
As the days warm in the northern hemisphere, meats also heat the summer barbecues. But the amount of heat we use to cook different meat matters – not just for the taste, but for health.
Each type of protein—Carne of cow, pig, poultry and others – recommended minimum temperature to be considered safe for consumption. A chicken breast, for example, needs to be heated at least 73.9 ° C in all its length, while a steak or pork chop should reach 62.8 ° C.
Where do these recommendations come from? And why should some meat be cooked at a higher temperature than others?
Temperature limits exist because raw foods, including meat, eggs, and even vegetables and other types of vegetable products, can sometimes host disease -causing microbeshe explains Kniel CalmiaFood Microbiologist at the University of Delaware, Ao.
Just as the human body houses thousands of millions of microorganisms, animals also “have a Community of Bacteria Naturally present that colonizes your gut and skin, ”says Kniel.
Most of these microbes are harmless for animals and peoplesays Kniel, but Some bacteria strains They can leave people sick. Microbes that an animal gets from its environment or that are introduced during meat processing can also pose health risks.
A food poisoning can be caused by viruses or parasites, but the most common culprits are bacteria like salmonella, andscuzy colicampylobacter, listeria e clostridium– Frequently found on or inside the animals.
These microbes proliferate at temperatures between 4.4 and 60 ° Coften duplicating in number in just 20 minutes. People who eat food contaminated with these bacteria often feel nausea, vomitingdiarrhea, stomach cramps and fever.
Most people recover in a few days, but in rare cases, food poisoning can be fatal – And cooking the meat is a way of killing these harmful microbes.
Over the 1970s and 1980s, scientists from various health agencies and US regulators transformed laboratories into kitchens tests to find the temperature guidelines of the meat we currently use, says Donald SchaffnerFood Microbiologist at Rutgers University.
The investigators Inoculated various foodsfrom rooster and chicken thighs to eggs and reheated, bacteria, and then prepared the dishes with different culinary methods-we say, grilling versus use microwave or baking.
The final guidelines for the temperatures to which foods should be cooked were then based on the time that took a temperature specific to reduce bacteria by 90 %.
Recommendations differ based on factors such as cutting a particular type of meat. Steakfor example, they have dense muscle fibers that are relatively difficult for bacteria to penetrate; seal meat kills most of the microbes that remain on the surface.
Chopped meat, on the contraryis typically made of lower quality cuts of multiple animals, and chop the meat in pieces disperses these bacteria that inhabit the surface by all products such as a hamburger or sausage. This requires an internal temperature that is A few higher degrees: 71.1 ° C.
Birds also need to be cooked higher temperature, 73.9 c °why It is more likely to be contaminated internallyparticularly with lumps of salmonella causing diseases that are part of the natural microbiome of animals.
Temperature orientation has remained essentially the same over the years, says Schaffner, having changed only once: In 2011 the USA Department of Agriculture, USDA, lowered the temperature recommendation for pork from 71.1 ° C to 62.8 ° C-after a successful campaign of livestock industry to reduce the prevalence of non-neat trichinella spiralis in the pigs.
In addition to cooking meat safely, there are other steps that people can take to Keep harmful bacteria out of your meals. For example, use cutting boards and separate utensilsS for raw and cooked meat, along with washing hands between culinary tasks, minimizes cross contamination.
It is also to avoid leave food at room temperature For long periods of time, to prevent bacteria from proliferating, says Kalmia Kniel.
The microbiologist also highlights that the spongy absorbent which is usually at the bottom of most meat packaging is an important source of bacteria; Always use a separate container and Pour out this film – With the minimum of contact.
