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The nucleic acid of imported cherries is positive, and one person is poisoned by eating cherries. Can you still eat cherries happily?

 Last Update: 2021-06-28
 Source: Internet
 Author: User

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Ruan Guangfeng Food Research Institute The day before yesterday

After entering winter, sporadic cases of the new crown epidemic began to appear in Hebei, Beijing, Heilongjiang, Dalian.
.
.
and other places, which added a lot of trouble to us who are about to celebrate the Spring Festival
.
In addition to the increase in infection cases, the food we eat has also begun to have some "problems"
.

On January 15, 3 ice creams on Daqiao Road in Tianjin were tested positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid.
.
.

On January 21st, Tianjin found imported whey powder with positive nucleic acid.
.
.

On January 21, a copy of imported cherries from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, tested positive for the new coronavirus on the inner surface.
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On January 25, there was news that a person was poisoned by eating 6 catties of cherries for 5 days and "blooded stools" more than 20 times in one night
.

From the initial “new crown virus found on the salmon chopping board” in Beijing Xinfadi, “positive soy product sales area samples”, to the infection of Qingdao aquatic product porters, to the recent new crowns of ice cream, cherries, whey powder and other foods The virus nucleic acid was positive, and suddenly, it seemed that all food had been contaminated by the new coronavirus, especially Cherie said that her life has not been very good recently
.

So, under the global COVID-19 pandemic, can cherries that test positive for nucleic acid still be eaten? What's wrong with poisoning by eating 5 catties of cherries for 6 days?

Figure Figure worm creativity

How is food contaminated with the virus?

Nucleic acid positives for the new coronavirus are frequently detected in food, so where does the virus come from? How is food contaminated with the virus?

In fact, viruses cannot grow and reproduce in food.
It is difficult for viruses to survive and replicate for a long time in food.
Humans are the ideal host for it
.
The new coronavirus on food and packaging mainly comes from infected people
.

Many people abroad are now infected with the new coronavirus, and there may be many engaged in food production, processing, transportation and storage
.
The main route of transmission of the new coronavirus is respiratory droplets
.
In the process of food processing, transportation and storage, especially in places where employees are relatively dense, such as supermarkets, factories, and slaughtering and processing plants, if food handling, processing, and production personnel are infected and fail to comply with good operating practices, such as If you do not wash your hands or wear a mask, the virus may be contaminated with food
.

In fact, earlier, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that in the process of tracing the source of Qingdao's new crown pneumonia epidemic, live virus was detected and isolated from positive samples of imported frozen cod carried by workers
.
This is the first time that the live new coronavirus has been isolated on the outer packaging of cold-chain food, and it has been confirmed that contact with the outer packaging contaminated by the new coronavirus can cause human infection
.

Figurefreepik.
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Will the virus survive on food and surfaces?

The new coronavirus requires close contact with an infected person, is transmitted through droplets, and spreads in the human body by parasitism
.
In fact, it can survive on the surface of dry objects such as tableware, lunch boxes, etc.
, but it is extremely low contagious
.
During SARS, some researchers simulated droplets containing high concentrations of virus onto dry paper, and found that the paper was no longer infectious within 5 minutes
.

However, the more troublesome problem of the new crown virus is that it is more cold-resistant, not afraid of cold, and can survive for a longer period of time
.
Some studies have found that this virus may live for more than 20 days in an environment with a relative humidity of 20% at 4°C
.
Therefore, cold chain foods have found problems many times.
After entering the winter, many foods enter the natural cold chain, and some problems have begun to appear, such as steak, ice cream, and recently cherries
.

This is also the main challenge we are facing now-in cold chain food and packaging, the new crown virus can survive for a period of time, and there is a certain possibility of infection
.

Figurefreepik.
com

Can food be infected with positive nucleic acid?

What everyone is most concerned about is: if the food tests positive for the new coronavirus nucleic acid, is it possible to be infected by eating it directly? Is this kind of food still edible?

In fact, it is not necessarily.
Don’t dare to eat ice cream or cherries just because you see such news
.

First of all, for the new coronavirus to infect humans, a sufficient number of infectious live viruses must enter the human body
.
If there are only a few viruses, it is difficult for them to cross our body's own immune system and cannot infect people
.

Secondly, the positive nucleic acid test of the new crown virus in ice cream and cherries does not prove that there must be a live virus, nor does it mean that eating such ice cream will definitely make people infected with the new crown
.

In fact, the current method of detecting the new coronavirus is to detect specific gene regions of the new coronavirus through real-time fluorescent RT-PCR
.
The detection object of this method is the RNA molecule after the virus is inactivated.
A positive nucleic acid test can only indicate that there is a new coronavirus gene fragment in it, but it does not mean that it must contain a live new coronavirus
.

Moreover, products such as ice cream are also subjected to high temperature sterilization during the processing and production process, and the possibility of live viruses in the products that are officially produced is extremely low
.

In addition, although there are cases of cold chain food spreading to people, basically people who have not done personal protection at the first contact point of the market and logistics are infected, and there are no cases of infection caused by eating food
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Therefore, eating foods that are positive for COVID-19 may not cause people to be infected
.

Figurefreepik.
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What can be done to reduce the risk?

Although there are cases of cold chain transmission, it is basically the infection of people at the first contact point such as markets and logistics.
There are no cases of infection due to eating frozen meat, seafood or other foods.
Therefore, you don’t have to worry too much about eating.
Don’t panic too much if you get the new crown
.

Do a good job of cleaning and personal protection at ordinary times, basically you don't have to worry too much
.
How to do it Some points that I often emphasize to everyone:

1.
Try to go to regular supermarkets and markets to buy food
.

Regular supermarkets generally have stricter requirements for the control of raw materials, such as requiring importers to provide a nucleic acid negative certificate, etc.
, and more comprehensive disinfection of its sales places will be carried out on a daily basis, and the management of staff will be stricter, which can be more Ensure food safety well
.

2.
Take personal protection when buying food
.

Pay attention to personal protection when buying food, such as wearing masks and disposable gloves
.
You can also bring sterile paper towels and a clean shopping bag
.

Before using supermarket carts and shopping baskets, disinfect the handles and handrails with disinfectant paper towels or disinfectant
.
Because supermarket carts and shopping baskets have been touched by many people, they can be a source of cross-contamination just like door handles and elevator buttons
.
Therefore, it is safer to disinfect the handle before using it yourself
.

In addition, you can also spray and disinfect the outer packaging with alcohol after you buy it home
.

3.
When buying fresh, frozen and frozen foods such as fish, seafood, meat, etc.
, it is best to wear disposable gloves or use a disposable shopping bag to make selections on your hands.
Do not touch the food directly with your hands
.

From the current point of view, imported refrigerated and frozen food is the most likely to be contaminated, so try not to touch these raw foods with bare hands
.
It is safer to wear disposable gloves
.

4.
Wash hands frequently and pay attention to personal hygiene
.

Always wash your hands before, during and after handling food
.
For example, after touching cold chain foods, you should also wash your hands with soap and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth without washing your hands; wash your hands before handling cooked and raw food; wash your hands before using the toilet and before eating
.

5.
Store separately to avoid cross contamination
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Frozen and refrigerated foods such as meat, fish and seafood that you buy back home should be packaged and stored separately from other foods such as fruits, vegetables, and cooked food to avoid cross contamination
.
This is the basic principle of food safety, and it should be done even if there is no epidemic
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6.
Wash fruits and vegetables with running water
.

Even if it is imported cherries, don't worry too much, just wash them with running water before eating
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Some fruits can also be peeled and eaten after washing
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But pay attention to the water flow not to be too large when cleaning, to avoid splashing
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7.
Do not rinse raw frozen food with water
.

When buying frozen seafood and frozen meat, try not to wash it with water, because washing can easily cause splashes and increase the risk of cross-contamination
.

8.
The cutting boards, knives, containers, etc.
used to handle food should be separated from raw and cooked food
.

It's best to prepare 2-3 cutting boards at home, one for cutting raw food, and one for cutting raw food directly, don't mix them
.
The knife for cutting frozen food and cooked food should also be kept separate
.

9.
Cook before eating
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Frozen meat, seafood and other foods must be cooked thoroughly before eating
.

What's wrong with cherry poisoning?

On January 25, news broke that a woman was poisoned by eating 6 catties of cherries for 5 days and "blooded stools" more than 20 times in one night
.

In fact, according to the description of the news, the possibility of this patient being iron poisoning or cyanide poisoning is very small, and she is more likely to have acute gastroenteritis
.

First of all, the iron content in cherries is not high
.
According to USDA data, there is 0.
36 mg of iron in every 100 g of cherries, and 6 catties of cherries are eaten for 5 days.
The average daily amount is 2.
16 mg/day
.
Besides, the absorption of iron in cherries is quite poor, and it will not be poisoned by iron
.

Secondly, cherries contain cyanide, but they are mainly concentrated in the nucleus.
As long as the nucleus is not crushed and eaten together, eating 6 catties of cherries for 5 days will not be cyanide poisoning
.
Moreover, the symptoms of cyanide poisoning are not "blood stools
.
"

Che Lizi: I'm too difficultTu Chong Creative

Excluding iron poisoning and cyanide poisoning, this patient's symptoms are more like acute gastroenteritis
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The cause may be eating unclean food
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This is back to the old saying that fresh fruits should be cleaned with running water before eating, and hands should be washed before meals and after going to the toilet
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Finally, I put a paragraph from Zhang Wenhong, the leader of the Shanghai New Crown Epidemic Prevention and Control Work Leading Group Medical Treatment Expert Group, in an interview with "News Investigation"
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image

The final decision to eat or not to eat is still in your own hands
.
But I will still eat it~

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