Listeria bacteria can grow at temperatures ranging from -1 to 4 degrees Celsius in meat and fish foods. Poisoning caused by this bacterium causes septicemia, meningitis.
According to Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, Institute of Food Technology (Polytechnical University), now many people are misunderstanding about food preservation in the refrigerator. Many people still think that food in the freezer can destroy the bacteria.
Foods left in the refrigerator are still at risk of infection and poisoning if they are unfortunate to eat. Bacteria can grow even at low temperatures. Typically, listeria bacteria can grow at temperatures from -1 to 4 degrees Celsius in meat and fish foods. Poisoning caused by this bacterium causes septicemia, meningitis. Food in the fridge is also at risk of cross-infection of bacteria due to poor hygiene.
"Preserving food in the refrigerator is just a way to keep the growth of bacteria. Make their growth process slow down but not kill the bacteria, "said Thinh said.
As suggested by PG Thinh, food from the freezer should not be frozen again. When defrosted, the restrained bacteria are released and multiply rapidly. If the freezing level returned to the bacterial cabinet will continue to increase in quantity that can cause acute poisoning and some other medical conditions for the body.
In order to prevent bacteria from accumulating in the fridge, we should clean the area once a week. Before freezing food, you should divide it into small packs that are sufficiently fortified for your health.
Dr. Duzan Thi Tuong Vi (Institute of Clinical Nutrition) also said that the process of slaughtering, transporting, selling to consumers, food is susceptible to bacterial infection. Therefore, experts recommend cleaning food before storage in the refrigerator.
He said the principle of safe food preservation, after slaughtering poultry and cattle finished, must be frozen as soon as possible. Time spent outside of the environment will allow the bacteria to grow.
Note, do not refrigerate food for too long because nutrients may be damaged. Families should only buy the best amount of preserved food in the cupboard for a week.
For vegetables, shelf life should be only 3-4 days. The longer green vegetables in the refrigerator will lose the vitamins and minerals, reduce the nutritional value.