Many of us, especially college students, often forget to put food back in the fridge. Whether it’s instant ramen or leftover burgers from last night’s dinner, it is common for food to be left out for hours on end. For my family, and other Asian households, rice tends to be left out at room temperature. However, this issue is starting to have serious negative effects on the general population. This is due to a bacteria called bacillus.

Bacillus is a rod shaped, gram positive bacteria. While not all types of Bacillus are harmful to the body, some species of Bacillus are. Some can produce toxins that can cause food poisoning. One of these Bacillus species is called Bacillus Cereus. It is commonly found in rice, so when rice is stored at room temperature for too long it is capable of forming spores. They are hard to kill because of this. Bacillus grows at around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so leaving rice out at room temperature, for example, is very harmful. The issue with leaving food, such as rice, out at room temperature for long periods of time is it creates the perfect ground for the Bacillus to form.

The results of the toxins Bacillus Cereus creates causes two different types of illnesses. These are Emetic (vomiting) syndrome and Diarrheal syndrome, which are both known as really bad food poisoning. While food poisoning itself does not sound too bad, the effects can be very harmful. You may also come down with a high fever as well as major dehydration from all of the liquids leaving your body., All these symptoms added up can cause damaging effects to your body, leaving it in an extremely weak state for days at a time.

To avoid these dangers, it is important to store rice properly. Since you may not be able to tell if your rice is suffering from Bacillus toxins, it is best to take precautions ahead of time. Cooked rice should be cooled and stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking. This should ensure that it stays below 5° Celsius or about 40° Fahrenheit. If you need to store rice for an extended period of time, it should be frozen. Additionally, reheated rice should be heated to at least 165°F to kill any bacteria that may be present. When taking these extra precautions, you will be able to make sure that your body is happy and healthy to go about your day!

This blog post was written for Healthy Young NV by a High Sierra AHEC Student Ambassador.

Content Sources:

https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/S_T/Safe-cooling-of-cooked-rice

http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/bacillus-cereus#:~:text=Bacillus%20cereus%20is%20a%20foodborne,ingestion%20of%20the%20contaminated%20food.

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning/#:~:text=If%20rice%20is%20left%20standing,the%20rice%20unsafe%20to%20eat.

Infographic Sources:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/29/following-food-safety-temperatures.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/science/Clostridium