Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: mariaguimaraes on 11/08/2009 12:30:02

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: mariaguimaraes on 11/08/2009 12:30:02

Maria Guimarães  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Dear naked scientists,
 
A few years ago I read that - counter to commercial claims - the good old wooden cutting boards are safest. Bacteria would get stuck inside the board, not multiply and eventually die. On plastic boards, though, bacteria would sit in the slits just waiting to infect the next piece of food.

Does that really hold? Has new research proven differently or confirmed that?
 
Thanks, Maria

What do you think?

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Nizzle on 13/08/2009 14:07:15

The safest chopping boards are plastic and have an antibacterial coating.

I have no clue which is safest between a wooden and untreated plastic chopping board.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: mariaguimaraes on 13/08/2009 17:36:23

what is the antibacterial coating?? do I want to eat fragments of it?

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Don_1 on 14/08/2009 08:09:51

I heard this suggestion that wooden cutting boards are safest, though I thought I remembered it being because the wood actually helps by killing some of the bacteria.

Personally, I think we are too damn fussy anyway. If we weren't so keen to kill everything that comes within a mile of us, our body's immune system's would be able to deal with many more situations than we seem to be able to take on today.

Our immune system should have a label on it, with the legend 'Use it, or lose it'.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Nizzle on 14/08/2009 09:20:47

I agree,

That's why i always wait far too long before cleaning the house ;)

I've never had the flu in my life though..

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Don_1 on 14/08/2009 13:26:30

"Cleaning the house"..... Hmmmm I'll look that up on Wikipedia.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 14/08/2009 18:34:06

Trees have had billions of years to deal with bacteria that may want to chow down on their treey bits, so they've evolved lots of antibacterial features. IRC the tests showed that if you put bacteria on a wooden board overnight, they were dead by morning, whereas with plastic they were still racing around having a great time. Note that the antibacterial plastics aren't very good at killing bacteria, they normally only kill a fairly narrow range, and bacteria are fairly good at evolving around most antibacterials.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Variola on 14/08/2009 18:56:19

Marble or glass chopping boards I would assume to be the safest.

Other than that, just good hygiene is the best defence!

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: wolfekeeper on 14/08/2009 20:37:42

No, wood is actually safer.

Marble and glass don't kill bacteria, although they might be easier to keep clean; but any scratches are problematic.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Variola on 14/08/2009 21:37:07

Quote from: wolfekeeper on 14/08/2009 20:37:42

No, wood is actually safer.

Marble and glass don't kill bacteria, although they might be easier to keep clean; but any scratches are problematic.

I know they dont kill bacteria, I wasn't suggesting that. The scratches are less deep and numerous than in wood, and marble lends itself better to thorough cleaning, i.e you cannot soak wood.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Karen W. on 15/08/2009 09:56:32

I thought the wood actually closed up and killed the bacteria or something like that! making it better for some things to be cut on!

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: lyner on 29/08/2009 00:21:47

I agree with variola (there you go!) in that a clean hard surface is probably safest; I can't believe there is much useful chemical action in the surface of an old, seasoned, piece of wood. But marble blocks do blunt my nice sharp knives.

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Don_1 on 04/09/2009 11:19:30

EH!!! WHAT!!!! PARDON!!!!! (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-confused013.gif&hash=396386a856152a890252526964cc44dd) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)


OOoer, the post which was just before this one has gone, lost in the thingamajig of whatitsname.


It was a load of absolute toot anyway...... There seems to be quite a few posts appearing which have no relationships to the thread they are in. In fact they are just garbbled rubbish.

No problem for me to understand them then! (I got that in before anyone else did).

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Nizzle on 04/09/2009 12:00:17

Quote from: sophiecentaur on 29/08/2009 00:21:47

I agree with variola (there you go!) in that a clean hard surface is probably safest; I can't believe there is much useful chemical action in the surface of an old, seasoned, piece of wood. But marble blocks do blunt my nice sharp knives.

Maybe it's not chemical, maybe the bacteria just don't like splinters.

(PS: This is a serious remark, and i'm talking about microscopic splinters restricting bacteria movement or what not)

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Variola on 04/09/2009 17:38:16

Quote

(PS: This is a serious remark, and i'm talking about microscopic splinters restricting bacteria movement or what not)

Painful if you get one in the pilus....

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Nizzle on 07/09/2009 16:05:46

Quote from: Variola on 04/09/2009 17:38:16

Painful if you get one in the pilus....

Parental advisory! Explicit content detected [:P]
Oh Variola, you and your connotations make me smile everytime [:D]

edit: fixed smiley

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Variola on 08/09/2009 17:58:51

Quote

Parental advisory! Explicit content detected
Oh Variola, you and your connotations make me smile everytime

edit: fixed smiley

 [:)] [:)]

I wasn't aware you had seen my connotations.... and I have never heard them called that before!  [;)] [;D]

Title: Which chopping boards are safest?
Post by: Nizzle on 14/09/2009 10:11:56

I voted for you having yourself tested for confusionitis