Cantonese rice or fried rice syndrome characterizes food poisoning caused by bacteria that develops when rice is improperly stored after cooking. It can be fatal.
THE “Cantonese rice syndrome” hide a potentially serious food poisoning. A student 20 year old Belgian is deceasedas reported in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology in 2011. This young man suddenly fell ill after eating a meal consisting of leftover spaghetti with tomato sauceprepared 5 days ago And left in the kitchen at room temperature. Less than an hour after consumption, he suffered from headachestomach aches and nausea. What followed were vomiting and diarrhea in the evening. He died during the night. The autopsy performed 5 days later showed necrosis in the liver and colon. The bacteria Bacillus cereus was found in fecal samples of the student and in the pasta samples ingested. For the Belgian doctors who reported the case, “B. cereus is the most likely cause of this fatal outcome“.
A bacteria that grows at room temperature
This bacteria present in the soil can be found in foods (vegetables, cereals, flours, rice, potato flakes, etc.) and produce two types of toxins : of the emetic toxins (responsible for early vomiting) preformed in foods and diarrhea toxins produced in the small intestine (causing slightly later diarrhea). The bacteria resist to temperatures ranging from 4 to 55 degrees. Conservation of the food at a temperature between 4°C and 55°C associated with deferred consumption East most often the cause of poisoning eating.
“Searing Cantonese rice before serving kills bacteria but does not destroy toxins”
“In the Anglo-Saxon worldBacillus cereus poisoning is also called “fried rice syndrome” or “Cantonese rice syndrome”. This illustrates the fact that in some restaurants specialized, the Rice is “pre-cooked” in large quantities and then stored without refrigeration (at room temperature, editor’s note). Pan-frying Cantonese rice before serving kills bacteria but does not destroy toxins” explain Margaux de Frouville and Professor Laurent Beaugerie in their book “Eat without poisoning” (ed.Flammation).
To store your rice safely:
- Do not store rice (or pasta) at room temperature
- Consume the rice immediately after cooking or cool it quickly (in cold water)
- Then store it in the refrigerator at a low temperature (4°C maximum)
- Consume products quickly after opening and dishes after preparation
In France “Bacillus cereus infections are relatively uncommonwith around 5 cases per million inhabitants per year and very usually benign” reassures the Ministry of Agriculture.
