If you prepared a large amount of rice, and you want to take advantage of it for the next day, you could be putting your health at risk.
The problem lies in the dry grain, which usually contains spores of the bacteria Bacilius cereusm, which causes consumption poisoning.
These frequent inhabitants of a large number of environments, remain “asleep” until the moment they come into contact with water and heat up.
Is at that moment when spores germinate and grow producing bacteria. They also turn into toxins that are unfortunately resistant to heat.
This phenomenon is popularly known as the “Fried rice syndrome”, which can generating vomiting or diarrhea, within a period of half and 24 hours after having consumed the food.
Because of this, you should consume the rice immediately, and not fry it a second time together with other ingredients, the day after.
It should be noted that bacteria continue to multiply, if rice is left at room temperature.“Reheating it does not remove the toxins that the bacteria have already produced”, warns Philip Tierno, microbiologist and clinical professor at Langone Health at New York University, to the specialized site Live Science.
What if I keep it in the refrigerator?
“If we prepare a pasta or rice dish and let it cool down to room temperature, and not refrigerated, We should not allow more than 24 hours to pass before consuming it so that its consumption is safe“, Explains Dr. Fernando Luca de Tena to the electronic newspaper ABC.
The specialist points out that after two hours without refrigeration, the Bacterial growth. In the event that the ambient temperature is high, a maximum of one hour.
In this way, the ideal is to store the cooked rice in the refrigerator, at a temperature below 5ºC. However, this does not mean that the cold kills bacteria, but does slower its growth.
Vomiting or diarrhea
According to Foods & Drugs Administration from the United States, the bacterium Bacilius cereusm can release two types of toxins. One of them produces diarrhea, while the other vomiting.
“In the first case, the toxin is released from the small intestine after consuming food, causing diarrhea, cramps and nausea, but without vomiting ”, they specify.
It should be noted that the symptoms usually begin 6 to 15 hours after consuming the contaminated food. They can also disappear after a day.
In the case of vomiting, these can appear in foods that they are rich in starch. For this reason it is called the “fried rice syndrome”.
The symptoms of this poisoning usually appear only after 30 minutes having consumed the rice. However, can take up to 6 hours. “There is no diarrhea, but there is nausea and vomiting, which they also yield after 24 hours“, They finally add.
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