Have you ever noticed white specks in the condiment bottles at restaurants or at home and wondered what those are?
A nutritionist, 林冠良營養師Siin, has raised concerns about the said white spots appearing in soy sauce bottles at eateries and took to his Facebook page to address the situation.
Make sure to take a closer look before adding soy sauce!
In the post, Lin emphasised that diners should always keep an eye out for these white spots before deciding to add the sauce to their food, as these spots could indicate potential contamination.
He went on to explain that the white spots are caused by colonies of bacteria. As the name implies, they represent a “community of germs,” which could include either bacteria or mould.
Each tiny spot contains COUNTLESS germs
Lin went on to explain that each tiny white spot is teeming with countless germs.
Sometimes, when someone experiences an upset stomach after dining out, it’s not always the food that’s to blame, it could also be a hygiene issue with the sauces.
“There’s no need to panic”
In another post, Lin addressed concerns from netizens who commented that they were now afraid to use soy sauce when dining out.
He clarified that his intention wasn’t to tell people to avoid soy sauce entirely but to encourage everyone to take a moment to inspect it before using it. This simple action could help prevent serious food poisoning.
“There are still plenty of restaurants that follow good hygiene practices. For example, a few days ago, I went to a small restaurant, and while their soy sauce bottles had bumps on the top, upon closer inspection, those were just salt grains,” he explained.
Lin pointed out that the grains in the picture below clearly had edges, unlike the round bacteria spots. He also checked inside the bottle and didn’t find any signs of bacteria colonies, confirming that the soy sauce was safe to use.
Before jumping to conclusions, take a moment to check if those white spots are actually bacteria or just harmless salt grains, which are completely SAFE to use!
Also read: Malaysian Doctor Warns Against Harmful Durian Combinations After Patient Experiences Intoxication
