Cross contamination

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As cross-contamination is generally referred to the direct or indirect transfer of unwanted contaminants on an object.

Examples are the transfer of pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms from one food to another, the transfer of allergens to a product during the production process, or the contamination of feed by residues in the production plant. There is also the possibility of contamination with alien organisms when dealing with cell cultures .

Forms of cross-contamination when handling food in the household

The starting point for a cross-contamination is always an already contaminated food. This can be a spoiled food, one that has been actively contaminated (for example, by touching it with unclean hands) or one that is already naturally contaminated (for example raw poultry or minced meat ).

Direct transmission

Direct transmission takes place when the pathogenic microorganisms are transmitted directly from the contaminated to the uncontaminated food. This happens, for example, when the fresh apple is placed next to an already spoiled one. Direct transmission is far rarer than indirect transmission because of its obvious nature.

Indirect transmission

In the case of indirect transmission, the pathogenic microorganisms reach the originally microbiologically acceptable food in a roundabout way. The indirect transmission path is far less obvious, for example when the cooked meat is placed on the plate it was on before cooking or when the same knife is used before and after cooking. Often people forget to wash their hands while cooking, and not just before. Cross-contamination does not necessarily have to take place from the raw product to the cooked one, but can also affect a completely different food. For example, when the raw poultry is placed in the pan by hand and the cucumber is cut for the salad while it is cooking. Then it doesn't matter whether the meat is cooked through - the microorganisms are also on the cucumber.

Individual evidence

  1. Fight against microbiological cross-contamination. (No longer available online.) In: Food Today. EUFIC, 2001, archived from the original on March 5, 2011 ; Retrieved June 1, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eufic.org
  2. Hans-Ulrich Waiblinger: Unregulated cross-contamination makes monitoring difficult. (PDF; 166 kB) In: Food & Law PRAXIS. February 2008, pp. 10–12 , accessed June 1, 2012 .
  3. Cross-contamination of feed by Maduramicin approved as a feed additive - Scientific opinion of the panel on contaminants in the food chain. In: EFSA Journal. January 25, 2008, accessed June 1, 2012 .
  4. Verification of the species and purity of cell lines using multiplex PCR. (PDF; 76 kB) In: Collection of methods from the Federal / State Working Group on Genetic Engineering. January 11, 2011, accessed June 1, 2012 .

Web links