Can boiling tableware sterilize?

When you are out and about and come across unsterilized tableware, can you sterilize it by scalding it with boiling water and then use it safely?

The truth: This statement is incorrect. Boiling tableware in boiling water for a short time cannot completely kill pathogenic microorganisms.

Pathogenic microorganisms can be divided into bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. The key to killing pathogenic microorganisms lies in temperature and time. Different pathogenic microorganisms have different tolerance to temperature. Most microorganisms can only be effectively killed when the temperature is high enough and maintained for a long enough time.

The temperature of the "boiling water" used when dining is often low, and many people only take a few seconds to tens of seconds to scald their dishes, which is not long enough. Therefore, scalding tableware with "boiling water" before dining cannot effectively kill pathogenic microorganisms.

Author: Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center