On TikTok, we are used to seeing silly challenges and dangerous “tricks”. But for once, the favorite social network of teenagers raises an interesting question: how do you reheat cooked rice without risking catching food poisoning?
Indeed: in recent days, on TikTok, testimonies are multiplying: many users complain of having developed food poisoning after eating leftover rice…
The culprit is Bacillus cereus : this bacterium can be found in rice, vegetables or potatoes. Usually destroyed by cooking, Bacillus cereus can (in certain specific cases) compact and form “balls”, called “spores”.
Put your box of rice in the fridge right away!
Very resistant to heat, these spores can germinate and give rise to toxins; these can be emetic toxins (they cause vomiting) or diarrheal toxins (they cause diarrhoea).
The symptoms generally appear between 2 and 16 hours after consumption of the contaminated food: not very serious (except in people whose immune system is fragile), this food poisoning heals without treatment within 24 hours.
How to avoid getting sick when eating leftover cooked rice? First, it is imperative to refrigerate your leftover rice once it has been cooked and cooled: “in the case of slow cooling or keeping warm, re-cooking may prove unnecessary to destroy the very heat-resistant emetic toxin“says the Ministry of Agriculture.
Second, do not keep cooked rice in the fridge for more than 7 days! Third, it is recommended to regularly check the temperature of your refrigerator: at most, 4°C.
Source :The Minister of Agriculture
