According to the general understanding, high heat can kill bacteria or viruses in food. One device that many people use is the microwave. It generates heat by sending microwave waves into the food to make the molecules vibrate. The temperature obtained depends on the power and time used for the frequency.
But recent research has found that even inside a microwave oven it seems to be something that generates a lot of heat and is full of microwave radiation. There are many types of bacteria that can live there!
A research team led by microbiologist Manuel Burcar from the University of Valencia in Spain swabbed samples from 30 microwave ovens used in different locations: 10 from kitchens, 10 from laboratories, and 10 from other public areas such as cafeterias.
They placed the samples in a test dish and were able to “identify more than 100 bacterial species.” This is the first time scientists have been able to document the bacterial community that lives in a microwave oven.
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The researchers were able to document 101 species of bacteria, and the three genera found in the microwave ovens were Micrococcus (Micrococcus), Brachybacterium (Brachybacterium), Paracoccus (Paracoccus), and Prestia (Prestia).
The group found only in kitchen microwave ovens includes: members of the genera Acinetobacter, Bhargavaea, Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, Dermacoccus, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudoxanthomonas and Rhizobium.
Species found only in microwave ovens used in common areas are the genera Arthrobacter, Enterobacter, Janibacter, Methylobacterium, Neobacillus, Nocardioides, Novosphingobium, Paenibacillus, Peribacillus, Planococcus, Rothia, Sporosarcina and Terribacillus.
Finally, the genus Nonomuraea (Nonomuraea) is only found in laboratory microwave ovens.
There are also some genera that belong to two groups of microwaves, such as Bacillus, found in kitchen stoves and common area stoves, or Cucurbita, found in common area stoves and laboratory stoves.
DNA analysis of the bacteria showed that most of the bacteria belong to the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes groups, which are often found on human skin and surfaces that people frequently touch.
Microwaves in the kitchen also contain bacteria that cause foodborne illness, such as Klebsiella and Brevondimonas.
It is not clear how these bacteria survive in microwave ovens, the research team said. Further studies are needed to understand how these bacteria adapt to high temperatures and electromagnetic radiation.
Borgar stated that the microorganisms found in home microwave ovens are the same as those found on kitchen surfaces. “Some microorganisms can cause illness. And we need to clean microwave ovens like any other surface in the kitchen.
Read the full research here
Compiled from Science News
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