A post by website readanddigesthealth.com claiming salmonella in eggs thrives more in low temperatures has no basis.
Bearing the headline “Mga delikadong dahilan kung bakit di mo dapat ilagay sa refrigerator ang itlog (Harmful reasons why you should not put eggs in the refrigerator),” the false report claims “many studies” show cold environments help salmonella multiply and prolong its life span.
The opposite is true.
A 2008 survey of salmonella contamination of raw eggs in the United Kingdom, published in the Journal of Food Protection, found:
“The advantages of low-temperature storage of shell eggs are that salmonellae are less able to multiply, and the yolk membrane remains essentially intact for long periods of storage. This is particularly important in the commercial kitchen environment, where temperature fluctuations can accelerate changes to yolk permeability, allowing invasion of yolk contents and multiplication of Salmonella Enteritidis.”
The findings of a 2008 article published in Poultry Science, and a 2014 study published in the journal Foods, also run counter to readanddigesthealth.com’s claim.
They found that it is at room temperature – around 25°C – and not at refrigerator temperature – more or less 8°C or lower – where bacteria multiplied more quickly.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the salmonella bacteria “a major cause of foodborne illness throughout the world.”
In an email to VERA Files, the WHO said it “recommends eggs to be kept refrigerated at temperatures below 5 degrees. This extends shelf life and reduces bacterial growth, such as salmonella.”
Readanddigesthealth.com, which was created in March 2017, did not cite any study to support its claim.
Its false report, which could have reached more than 2 million people, was published May 11, during the International Respect for Chickens Month.
Social media traffic to the story was largely generated from by Facebook pages Read & Digest Health, Read and Digest and Philippine News Trending.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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