Washing fruit and vegetables with bicarbonate-proiezionidiborsa.it
To be sure to clean and disinfect fruit and vegetables well, we recommend soaking them in water and baking soda. However, it turned out that this is completely useless. Here’s what recent scientific studies have revealed.
Il sodium bicarbonate it is a product present in all homes. In fact, it is used for numerous household tasks: from housekeeping at the Kitchen. It is a sodium salt of carbonic acid (chemical formula NaHCO3). In nature it is often dissolved within surface and groundwater. At room temperature, it looks like a very fine white powder.
The most common uses of baking soda in the home
As already mentioned, baking soda is often used to carry out many household chores. Dissolved in water, and perhaps with the addition of a little vinegar or lemon juice, it is excellent natural cleaner to clean many surfaces. A small bowl of baking soda placed inside the refrigerator it is very useful for absorb bad smells.
And again, we remember his leavening power. The most expert housewives always add the tip of half a teaspoon in leavened doughs and also in the omelette to obtain an excellent final leavening. In the end, they have always said to wash fruit and vegetables with baking soda. It is a recommendation that is always made to everyone, especially pregnant women.
Scientific news on the effective efficacy of bicarbonate
Science never stops. Even very important discoveries are made every day that can greatly affect our health and future life. There are scientific news Also regarding washing fruit and vegetables with water and baking soda. To better understand the results of the studies, it is good to clarify what the terms “disinfect” and “clean” mean. “Clean” It means remove dirt which, in the case of fruit and vegetables, can be understood as small insects and soil.
For its part, however, “disinfect” means almost completely eliminate all those microorganisms that can cause infections and, consequently, disease. On some bicarbonate packages the following wording is reported: “bicarbonate does not perform a disinfectant action”. And this already says a lot… But science has given further proof.
They have always said to wash fruit and vegetables with baking soda but this is useless for disinfecting
On the base of various studies carried out, only one has demonstrated the effectiveness of bicarbonate to disinfect a steel surface from Feline Calicivirus contamination. This means that, in the presence of surfaces and microorganisms other than those mentioned, things can be different. But not only. Another study has even demonstrated the total ineffectiveness of bicarbonate in reducing the bacterial load of Salmonella enterica present on spinach. In short, various scientific researches have clearly demonstrated that the sodium bicarbonate it would have no disinfectant power.
In short words, washing fruit and vegetables with water and baking soda can be useful to remove the dirt that has settled on them, but not to break down the bacterial load. Among other things, soaking several fruits in water is wrong because, if the skin of a food were contaminated, it would spread that microorganism to all the other products immersed in water. Better then rinse the food under running water by scrubbing it with a brush and, for greater safety, we recommend rather the use of products based on sodium hypochlorite (chlorine).