Choosing good, fresh, quality raw materials and\npreserving them properly, along with proper handling, are the keys to avoid\nfood-borne toxi-infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, there are several preparations that are\nvery typical of this Christmas season that are especially dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite Pelayo, microbiologist and technical\nspokesperson for the Silestone Institute, advises us how to handle and preserve\nthe ten Christmas preparations that, due to their specific characteristics,\npresent the greatest health risk in their preparation and consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Seafood, especially raw such as oysters or knife\nclams. Crustaceans<\/strong>\n(lobster, prawns, etc…), are usually consumed cooked or grilled, however, mollusks\nsuch as oysters or clams can be consumed raw, so their risk is higher. Do not\nbe guided only by the smell and appearance. Acquire them in places of absolute\nconfidence and make sure they have been previously purified (elimination process\nof possible pathogens and other toxic substances with clean sanitary water).\nEat them very fresh and closed (alive) if they are raw (hence the\n“knife” as they must be opened by force). In any case, extreme\nhygiene precautions should be taken. Also consider that, although they are in\nperfect sanitary conditions, shellfish can, by their nature, trigger food\nallergies in certain people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Accompanying sauces, especially those based on eggs\nsuch as mayonnaise and its derivatives.<\/strong> The cold homemade sauces (mayonnaise, pink sauce,\nmuslin…) that accompany some traditional Christmas preparations are not\nexempt from health risks. It is advisable to keep the eggs refrigerated until\nconsumption. It is essential to take extreme hygiene measures. Every time the\neggshell is touched, it is important to wash your hands. Never crack the eggs\non the edge of the container in which we are going to beat them, use another\ncontainer only for this purpose. Once the sauce is prepared, consume it immediately.\nRefrigerate the mayonnaise until it is consumed, even if it is only for a few\nminutes. Avoid storing leftovers with sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Foie gras, mi-cuits and p\u00e2t\u00e9s, especially homemade.<\/strong> It is essential to consult the label about the type\nof product and animal of origin, as well as its conditions of conservation and\npreferential consumption or expiration. As they are products, in some cases,\nwith mild thermal treatments, they will need to be kept refrigerated. This also\noccurs with other semi-preserves such as anchovies, smoked products, or sliced\nsausages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Meat carpaccio and preparations such as “steak\ntartar”.<\/strong> Meat can present\ncontaminating microorganisms that can be ingested in raw or undercooked foods.\nSpecial attention to delicate culinary preparations such as “steak\ntartar”, an elaboration of great manipulation based on raw and chopped\nmeat (of greater risk) with ingredients such as raw eggs. The person\nresponsible for preparing it must be very careful with respect to the origin of\nthe ingredients, the hygiene of surfaces and utensils and his own. Consume\nimmediately after its preparation, the degree of freshness is fundamental in\nits quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Fish carpaccio or raw (sushi, sashimi) or marinated\nfish preparations<\/strong>. The\nfish may contain anisakis larvae which, if eaten raw, could cause health\nproblems. Heat treatments are the traditional method of inactivating anisakis\nlarvae. Otherwise, pre-freezing for at least 48 hours at less than 20 degrees\nbelow zero is the most effective procedure to inactivate the parasite. This\nprocess should be applied to raw fish preparations such as sushi or sashimi but\nalso to raw marinated fish such as anchovies in vinegar or homemade marinated\nsalmon, especially if they are wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Big and small game meat.<\/strong> Wild boar, roe deer, hare, birds such as partridges\nor pigeons…. Pay attention to their origin, which must certify their health\nguarantee. In the case of wild boar, a veterinarian will have to inspect it to\ncheck that it does not present Trichinella parasitosis. It must be considered\nthat these are wild animals that live in uncontrolled environments and\ntherefore can suffer or transmit diseases (zoonoses). In the case of birds,\nthey are an important focus of salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria so even\nin the case of cooking thoroughly and sanitizing them, it will be necessary to\nbe very careful in their handling to avoid cross contamination with other foods\nalready prepared or cold consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Turkey, free-range chicken, hens and pullets,\nduck…<\/strong> are another of the\nstar Christmas dishes that can present a high health risk. The fact that they\nare cooked with heat attenuates the problem, although a thorough cooking should\nbe ensured in which at least 70\u00baC is reached in the center of the product. But\nas in the previous case, it is very important to avoid possible\ncross-contamination with other foods both in their refrigerated conservation,\npreferably in an airtight container and in the lower trays to avoid possible\nleaks, and in their subsequent handling and cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Mushrooms.<\/strong> This is a seasonal food that often accompanies other\npreparations or appears as an ingredient in Christmas preparations. Although\nthe consumption of mushrooms does not represent a high percentage of the human\ndiet, it presents a great toxic risk if we consider the frequency of poisoning\nin relation to the number of people exposed. The causes for which these occur are\nlarge number of species with similar morphology, change in the morphology of\nthe species due to variations in environmental conditions, variability in the\ntoxic response of individuals, preparation and consumption conditions. It is necessary\nto determine that the only way to distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous\nones is a good knowledge of each one of them. Acquire them in reliable\nestablishments. In case of doubt, simply do not consume them. 9. Desserts with eggs or cream as an ingredient.<\/strong> Cakes with pastry cream or cream are foods with a\nhigh health risk, which must be kept refrigerated. Extreme hygiene precautions.\nSometimes these are preparations based on eggs or cream, ingredients of high\nhealth risk. Even if they are baked, they are often decorated with cream or\naccompanied by custard, so extreme hygiene precautions must be taken in their\npreparation, keep them cold and consume them quickly. Homemade custards and\npuddings are also risky preparations that, although they are made with heat,\nare taken cold. They should be consumed as soon as possible and until then,\nkept refrigerated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. Preparations already made in a restaurant or\nsimilar for consumption at home.<\/strong>\nIt is increasingly common to acquire dishes already prepared in a restaurant\nwith the added risk that this implies. It is very important to ensure that the\nestablishment is authorized to supply dishes already prepared for consumption\noutside the restaurant and that the preparations are provided in the most\nappropriate safety conditions to ensure their transport, either hot or cold,\nand their subsequent consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Choosing good, fresh, quality raw materials and preserving them properly, along with proper handling, are the keys to avoid food-borne toxi-infections. In addition, there are several preparations that are very typical of this Christmas season that are especially dangerous. Maite Pelayo, microbiologist and technical spokesperson for the Silestone Institute, advises us how to handle and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1705,999],"tags":[1240,1241,1220,1242,1243,1114],"class_list":["post-17807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-2","category-news","tag-avoid-food-toxi-infections","tag-avoid-toxi-infections","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-meals","tag-food-toxi-infections","tag-kitchen-healthy","category-1705","category-999","description-off"],"yoast_head":"\n
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