The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends using plastic cutting boards instead of wood. Unlike plastic cutting boards, wooden cutting boards have invisible fine holes on the surface, and the reason is that if pollutants penetrate through these holes, they leave residue even if they are washed properly. On the other hand, plastic cutting boards have no micropores on the surface and are not made of a material that permeates liquid, so they are easier to wash than wooden cutting boards. There is also a study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that food poisoning-causing bacteria such as Campylobacter and E. coli can survive from as little as two hours to as many days in the hole on the surface of the wooden cutting board.
On the contrary, there are studies showing that the antibacterial power of wooden cutting boards is stronger than that of plastic cutting boards. A research team at the University of Wisconsin in the U.S. compared the sterilization power of wooden cutting boards and plastic cutting boards, and found that 99.9% of Salmonella E. coli Listeria bacteria died on wooden cutting boards within a few minutes. Similar results were found in an experiment conducted by a biology researcher at Mosul University in Iraq. When bacteria on the surface of the wooden and plastic cutting board, which had minced meat, raw chicken, and vegetables on it, both cutting boards showed a decrease in the number of E. coli and Salmonella colonies over time, but the steeper decline was the wooden cutting board.
Plastic cutting boards and wooden cutting boards have their own strengths and weaknesses. In the short term, wooden cutting boards may be more hygienic. This is because the tendency of food poisoning bacteria to die better on wooden cutting boards was clearly observed. However, plastic cutting boards are convenient for long-term hygiene management. The longer you use the cutting board, the more cuts will increase on the surface of the cutting board. Due to the nature of trees that are more absorbent than plastic, there is a high risk that pollutants or food poisoning bacteria will not be completely removed even if washed.
No matter what material you choose, the fact that you can use the cutting board hygienically only after "thorough management" is unchanged. After using the cutting board, wash it clean with detergent and hot water. After that, it must be completely dried in a well-ventilated and sunny place. Since cleaning is easy only when there are few scratches on the surface of the cutting board, it is also a method to put a milk pack on the cutting board when the cutting needs to be strengthened.
It is also good to disinfect the cutting board sometimes. You can use a cutting board detergent or use a lock at home. The U.S. FDA recommends periodically disinfecting the cutting board with a solution diluted with 1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach (Lox) without added scent in about 4 liters of water. It can be disinfected. Pour the lactose diluent over the surface of the cutting board, leave it for a few minutes, and rinse it several times under running water.
Writer: Grace Jun
(Picture from Unsplash)
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