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Researchers from the University of Mauritius have shown that family size, type of diet and multi-usage of towels impact the growth of pathogens on kitchen towels, potentially causing food poisoning. Family composition and hygienic practices in the kitchen affected the microbial load of kitchen towels. 49% of the kitchen towels collected in the study had bacterial growth which increased in number with extended family, presence on children and increasing family size.
The towels for multipurpose usage (wiping utensils, drying hands, holding hot utensils, wiping/cleaning surfaces) had a higher bacterial count than single-use towels and humid towels showed higher bacterial count than the dry ones. Out of the 49 samples which were positive for bacterial growth, 36.7% grew coliforms, 36.7% Enterococcus spp and 14.3% S. aureus.
A total of 100 kitchen towels were collected after one month of use. The researchers cultured the bacteria and identified them by standard biochemical tests. They also determined the bacterial load on the towels. S. aureus was isolated at a higher rate from families of lower socio-economic status and those with children. The risk of having coliforms (Escherichia coli) was higher from humid towels than the dried ones, from multipurpose towels than single-use ones and from families on non-vegetarian diets.
Coliform and S. aureus were detected at significantly higher prevalence from families with non-vegetarian diets. Escherichia coli is a normal flora of human intestine and it is released in large numbers in human feces. The presence of Escherichia coli indicates possible fecal contamination and lack of hygiene practices.
The data indicated that unhygienic practices while handling non-vegetarian food could be common in the kitchen. The presence of potential pathogens from the kitchen towels indicates that they could be responsible for cross-contamination in the kitchen and could lead to food poisoning. Humid towels and multipurpose usage of kitchen towels should be discouraged.
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