To lessen the uncertainty of cross-contamination and foodborne infections, registered dietician-nutritionists have urged Nigerians to desist from boiling unpeeled and unwashed eggs and rice together in the same pot.
The food experts explained that bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli, may be display on eggshells and could contaminate the rice as the egg and rice cook together.
They noted that even although boiling can destroy bacteria, owing to the detail that the water goes from a warm stage prior to reaching boiling detail, it provides an possibility for bacteria to persist and be transferred to the rice.
In restricted interviews alongside PUNCH Healthwise, the nutritionists noted that eggshells can crack during cooking, allowing parts of the egg to spill into the rice and alter its appearance, taste and odour.
Although the nutritionists acknowledged that some community combine the foods to retain cooking time and bottom gas consumption, they maintained that food safety should take priority given that a foodborne infection could finding in medical expenses, lost labor time and reduced productivity.
The experts’ warning comes on the heels of a most recent viral tweet on X, where netizens shared their experiences of food contamination following consuming a meal in which rice and egg were boiled together in the same pot.
Further digital findings display that several Nigerians involve in these practices to preserve time, water, cooking utensils, and fuel.
Providing authority insight into the matter, an veteran nutrition and community health practitioner, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, James Oloyede, said boiling eggs together including rice could reveal the rice to Salmonella bacteria that may be demonstrate on the eggshell, even later than washing.
He explained that despite the point that Salmonella could be destroyed at boiling temperature, it could continue for some time whilst the water was still warm prior to reaching boiling aspect.
Oloyede, who is the former Leader of Nutrition Services and Health Education at the Osun Status Earliest Health Care Development Board, said, “Cooking egg and rice together in the same pot has been found to be a uncertainty aspect in cross-contamination of definite bacteria, particularly Salmonella, that can be found on the shell of the egg even following washing alongside the rice that is being cooked.”
Oloyede said the hazard was heightened owing to the point that rice begins absorbing water as in a little while as it is placed in the pot, meaning bacteria demonstrate in contaminated water could be absorbed along using it.
“The challenge together with rice is that absorption begins to take place the moment you put your rice in the water. And if the egg contains Salmonella bacteria, the tendency is that when the rice is absorbing water, then the bacteria can additionally be absorbed together together with the water and can continue during the procedure of the boiling,” he said.
The nutritionist added advised Nigerians to cook eggs and rice separately as the safest manner of avoiding cross-contamination.
“So it is important that, in a route to guarantee food safety, we do not boil eggs together together with rice in the same pot,” he said.
The registered dietician-nutritionist moreover noted that eggs could crack during cooking, allowing parts of the egg to spill into the rice.
“Apart from that, in most cases, even when you boil an egg in water, you see that at times the shell can crack. That’s what we summon cross-contamination,” Oguikpe said.
He said such cross-contamination could cause stomach cramps, diarrhoea and fever, although severe cases could influence in kidney complications.
“So it is something that we genuinely name for to steer clear of. Boiling your eggs at the same time alongside rice,” Oguikpe warned.
The nutritionist explained that the contaminants could originate from poultry droppings from the chickens that lay the eggs, adding that washing the eggshells might not eliminate the hazard.
“These contaminants are from poultry droppings from the chickens that lay these eggs. If you tie the egg in nylon and put it in the rice that wants to boil, that will build sure that leakage is prevented, either from the eggshell or even when the egg cracks; those things will not spill on the rice,” Oloyede said.
He, yet, maintained that cooking the two foods separately remained the safest selection.
“But of direction, the safest path of cooking egg and rice is to boil them separately. That’s the safest route,” Oloyede said.
He stressed that food safety should take priority over the time or gas saved by cooking the foods together.
He added that Salmonella infection could finding in medical expenses, lost effort time and reduced productivity, potentially affecting the proceeds of daily paid workers and increasing household expenses.
“And whatever we do, we must reason of food safety initial, given that if there’s a cross-contamination, the outlay of treating a food infection from Salmonella, then the time you waste in going to the hospital, then the time you will take off activity and productivity, outweigh the expense of gas or the time you are trying to keep by cooking both together,” Oloyede said.
Moreover, a registered dietician-nutritionist, Charles Oguikpe, warned against cooking eggs in the same pot using rice, saying contaminants on eggshells could be transferred to the rice.
“So the motive why we believe around boiling eggs in the same pot whilst cooking rice on a sieve is that some contaminants in eggshells can cause harm to the person body seeing that these contaminants will be dropped off on the rice. No subject how you wash it, you might not be remarkably sure 100 per cent that it has gone off,” he said.
He therefore advised humans to cook eggs and rice separately.
“So it is advisable that you boil your eggs separately and cook your rice separately. When the water begins to warm up, we see the rice grain launch to swell. Contaminants like Salmonella or E.coli can drop off on the rice. You see some of the white parts of the egg coming out from the shell. And if that happens together with rice that has been boiled together, undoubtedly some of those white particles will circulate on the rice that has been boiled,” he said.
Oloyede said the spilt egg could furthermore alter the taste, appearance and odour of the rice.
He said some individuals integrated the two foods to decrease cooking time or preserve gas, particularly as of the high charge of cooking gas.
“You be aware of, by boiling the two together, now that the rate of gas is extremely high, we launch tying the egg in nylon. And when the egg has been boiled, the shells are removed. What makes it swell is the absorption of the water. It becomes edible for us to eat,” Oguikpe said.
Source: Why Nigerians should stop boiling eggs, rice together – Experts
