Why kitchen knives are injurious to health

People preparing food are advised to wash their hands to prevent the spread of disease, yet an unseen threat may well lie on their kitchen knife, a new study says. Interestingly, the type of knife, whether serrated, sharp or dull, did not matter...

People preparing food are advised to wash their hands to prevent the spread of disease, yet an unseen threat may well lie on their kitchen knife, a new study says.

Researchers at the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia used new knives and graters on six types of fruit and vegetables that had been smeared with minute doses of Hepatitis A virus and a vomiting bug called norovirus. More than half of the utensils became contaminated by this contact -- and in turn often handed on virus to non-contaminated produce.

knife

The experiment was conducted on cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots and cantaloupe and honeydew melons. The type of knife, whether serrated, sharp or dull, did not matter, according to the paper, published in the latest issue of the journal Food and Environmental Virology.

Previous research into contamination of kitchen utensils and surfaces has focussed on bacteria, not viruses.

A 2011 study found that the norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States. Ingesting as few as between one and 100 norovirus particles can cause vomiting or diarrhoea.