Q & A - Don't do it!

Q: How come we can’t cook raw meat that has expired or gone bad? Isn’t the whole reason we cook meat to get rid of bacteria and other harmful substances that could make you sick?

A: Cooking meat is indeed a way to kill bacteria, parasites, and other harmful microorganisms that could make you sick. However, cooking cannot make spoiled or expired meat safe to eat. When meat spoils or goes bad, it means that harmful bacteria and possibly other toxins have already proliferated to levels that cooking cannot effectively eliminate.

Spoilage in meat occurs due to the growth of bacteria, moulds, or yeasts, which can break down the proteins and fats in the meat, producing unpleasant odours, flavours, and textures. These spoilage organisms typically don't cause severe illness but can make the food unappealing and potentially unsafe to eat.

On the other hand, food-borne illnesses from consuming spoiled or expired meat are primarily caused by harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, and others. Cooking can kill these bacteria, but it may not neutralize any toxins or harmful byproducts they have produced while the meat was spoiled. Some bacteria produce heat-stable toxins that are not destroyed by cooking.

Additionally, certain bacteria can produce spores that are highly heat-resistant. While cooking may kill the active bacteria, the spores can survive and potentially re-grow or produce toxins if the food is later stored incorrectly or kept at an unsafe temperature.

It's crucial to practice food safety by properly storing and handling meat, following expiration dates, and ensuring that you cook meat to appropriate internal temperatures to kill harmful bacteria. However, once meat has gone bad or expired, it's safest to discard it to prevent food-borne illness. Cooking cannot reverse the damage caused by spoilage or neutralize toxins that may have developed.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model