Author(s)

Kimberly A. Baker¹, Inyee Y. Han¹, J. Bailey¹, Lauren Johnson¹, Edward Jones¹, Amy Knight¹, Mollye MacNaughton¹, Peter Marvin¹, Katherine Nolan¹, Rose Martinez-Dawson², Paul L. Dawson^1*

¹Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
²Department of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.

Popcorn is a very social food, often shared with others and offered at many major sporting events, concerts, movies, and fairs. However, sharing may not be safe since microorganisms found on hands may be transferred onto the shared popcorn. This study was conducted to determine if bacteria are transferred from hands to popcorn during handling. Over 30 samplings revealed that bacterial transfer to popcorn from hands was very low; however transfer did occur with large variation between subjects. Since hands and surfaces can carry bacteria in situations where food is being shared, transferring bacteria from one person to another person is always a risk.

Component, Popcorn, Bacterial Transfer, Food Safety, Sharing Food

Baker, K. , Han, I. , Bailey, J. , Johnson, L. , Jones, E. , Knight, A. , MacNaughton, M. , Marvin, P. , Nolan, K. , Martinez-Dawson, R. and Dawson, P. (2015) Bacterial Transfer from Hands While Eating Popcorn. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 6, 1333-1338. doi: 10.4236/fns.2015.615139.