How to choose and use chopsticks safely

Moldy chopsticks can cause poisoning.

In Vietnamese culinary culture, chopsticks are an indispensable tool in every meal. However, if you do not choose the right type of chopsticks and use them incorrectly, it can be harmful to your health. When choosing to buy chopsticks, you need to pay attention to health and food safety issues.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology and Food, Hanoi University of Science and Technology said that bamboo chopsticks have been used for the longest time. Currently, there are many types of bamboo chopsticks, including those made from young bamboo, used once, which are not good for health.

To keep chopsticks white and free from mold during production, chopsticks are often soaked in chemicals and then dried. Therefore, even if used once, they still pose a health risk.

Choosing chopsticks to focus on health and food safety issues.

Therefore, according to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, if using bamboo chopsticks, families should choose the type made from old bamboo, after buying, boil them in boiling water for at least 30 minutes to kill bacteria, remove preservatives if any. Wooden chopsticks are often used, but this type is painted or dyed on the outside to look cleaner and more eye-catching. Chopsticks painted on the surface are not as safe for health as raw wooden chopsticks.

However, experts also say that the most obvious weakness of these two types of chopsticks is that they are susceptible to mold and bacteria. Because these two types of chopsticks absorb water very well, this is a favorable environment for bacteria to reside, causing mold and harming health.

“In fact, many types of mold can be seen with the naked eye, but many types cannot be observed, so if eaten, it can easily cause poisoning. When washing chopsticks, we often wash the body of the chopsticks, but do not wash the tip of the chopsticks thoroughly. This is where leftover food remains. If left for a long time in a humid, not dry environment, it will cause mold, which is dangerous to health,” Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh noted.

Replace chopsticks every 6 months

Referring to this issue, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dang - former Director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health warned that using moldy chopsticks to eat rice means people are putting cancer-causing sources into their bodies.

Moldy corn, peanuts, almonds, oilseeds, dried fruits, rice, beans, and spices can be contaminated with the toxin Aflatoxin, which causes liver cancer. Moldy corn and rice can be contaminated with the toxin Fumonisin of mold, which can cause liver cancer and esophageal cancer. If kitchen utensils such as wooden chopsticks contaminated with mold are still used, the risk of liver cancer is difficult to avoid.

People should replace chopsticks every 6 months.

According to health experts, each type of chopstick has its own advantages and disadvantages. To be safe when using chopsticks, the most important thing is to ensure proper hygiene.

Experts recommend that people should not use plastic chopsticks. When using other types of chopsticks, special attention should be paid to cleaning and chopsticks should be replaced periodically. With stainless steel chopsticks, they should be replaced when there are signs of peeling or deformation of the plating on the tip of the chopsticks. With bamboo and wooden chopsticks, when exposed to water, they will quickly deteriorate, so they should not be used for too long.

It is best for people to replace chopsticks every 6 months or immediately when there are signs of damage. In addition, when washing, people need to pay attention to cleaning the tip of the chopsticks, washing with specialized detergent to remove dirt better. After eating, people need to wash chopsticks immediately, should wash with hot water, absolutely do not soak dirty chopsticks in water for a long time, which will cause the chopsticks to deteriorate quickly because the water will seep and absorb deep inside.

Families with conditions can use a chopstick dryer after washing, because even if washed, bacteria can easily grow in a humid environment. In case there is no dryer, families should dry the chopsticks in the sun, or use a hair dryer to dry them and then store them carefully; check the chopstick basket because the bottom of the basket often contains a lot of dirt, which is a place for many types of bacteria that are harmful to health.

 

With stainless steel and plastic chopsticks, the advantage is that they are easy to clean and less likely to develop mold when stored, but they have limitations that negatively affect health. When used with hot food, plastic chopsticks are easily denatured, even deformed at high temperatures. At that time, microplastics will stick to food and directly enter the body. Stainless steel chopsticks look quite clean on the outside, but when used in contact with heat or acidic foods, heavy metals will be released and enter the body, causing harm to the liver and kidneys. On the other hand, the weakness of this type of chopsticks is that they are easy to dissipate heat and can cause burns when eating hot food such as hot pot. In addition, this type of chopsticks is often difficult to use because they are slippery, even though friction has been created at the tip.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at Institute of Biotechnology and Food, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/cach-chon-va-su-dung-dua-an-toan.html