During the summer months, food poisoning incidents occur frequently, particularly when raw or cold foods are improperly handled, leading to bacterial growth that threatens consumer health. The investigative team from "Frontline Investigation" recently uncovered that Sushi Express left pre-made sushi rice outside refrigerator for over 16 hours without temperature control.
According to the guidelines from the Food Safety Center, cooked rice should cool from 60°C to 20°C within two hours and should drop to 4°C or lower within four hours after cooking. Additionally, the pH level of sushi rice should be maintained at 4.6 or below.
Associate Professor, Prof. Amber Chiou from our department was interviewed by HOY News × i-Cable News, highlighting that this handling method is inappropriate. If bacteria proliferate, their toxins cannot be eliminated even with high-temperature cooking. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus are the most common foodborne pathogens that are associated to rice products. The toxins produced by these pathogens cannot be 100% eliminated through heating. 🧫🦠
Prof. Chiou advises consumers to pay close attention to the condition of sushi rice when purchasing. If the rice grains are too dry or exhibit a stringy texture, it may indicate prolonged storage or excessive bacterial growth, and should be avoided. Let’s all prioritize food safety and protect our health!
For more details, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PchnNLk58Kw
【夏季食物安全警示】
每逢夏季，食物中毒事件頻繁發生，特別是生冷食物處理不當時，容易滋生細菌，威脅消費者健康。《一線搜查》團隊近期深入調查，揭露某連鎖壽司店在室外擺放預製壽司飯超過16小時，且未控制溫度的情況。
根據食物安全中心的指引，煮好的壽司飯應在兩小時內從攝氏60度冷卻至攝氏20度，並在四小時內降低至攝氏4度。此外，壽司飯的酸鹼值應維持在4.6或以下。
本系副教授邱家琪接受了HOY資訊台 × 有線新聞的訪問，指出這種處理方式極為不當，若細菌滋生，即使高溫加熱也無法消除其毒素。她特別提到金黃葡萄球菌及蠟樣芽孢桿菌是飯類即食品中較常見的食源致病菌，這些細菌在生長過程中會產生無法通過加熱去除的毒素。
邱教授建議消費者在選購壽司時，應特別留意壽司飯的狀態。若飯粒過乾或出現拉絲現象，可能表明存放時間過久或細菌繁殖過多，應避免食用。請大家共同關注食物安全，保障健康！
查看更多細節: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PchnNLk58Kw
