How to wash Fruits and Vegetables to prevent Coronavirus

From Europe to America and to Asia, there is no area in the world that didn’t get affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19) except Antarctica. Coronavirus spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. But there is one question that must be in your mind that, Can it spread from contact with contaminated fruits or vegetables? People also must have another question that, How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to prevent Coronavirus? Read this article up to end to know answers to all of your questions.

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Read Full Article to know, “How to wash Fruits and Vegetables to prevent Coronavirus”.

Can Coronavirus spread through Fruits and Vegetables?

Everybody must have this question in their mind that, Is there any possibility of getting Coronavirus by touching fruits and Vegetables? This is a very important question these days as everybody is doing every other thing to prevent COVID-19 like washing hands regularly and keeping social distance. But we can’t stop eating Fruits and Vegetables as we can’t survive without eating them. Fruits and Vegetables are highly recommended by doctors to improve your immunity. But we have a doubt while buying fruits and vegetables from the market that they might be touched by an infected person. We know that anything purchased in the cleanest supermarket may have spent some time on the ground or pavement on its way to the store. Or handled by unclean hands. It may be possible that a person can get a virus touching a surface or object (either it is fruit or vegetable) that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads but still, some people want to know about precautions to take in such a doubting situation. The only precaution we can take is washing fruits and vegetables properly.

How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to prevent Coronavirus? 

Most people use to wash fruits and vegetables directly with tap water or normal drinking water. Rinsing fruits and vegetables in water does not make it safe because water, no matter how pure, does not kill bacteria. Organisms on the surface of fruits and vegetables are transferred to the inner fruit during cutting and peeling, so produce to be enjoyed raw, must be sanitized first. Purified drinking water does not kill bacteria and viruses like Coronavirus. So we will discuss two techniques of washing Fruits and Vegetables to properly kill bacteria and viruses present on them.

The first technique which we are going to talk about is mainly used in Mexico. In Mexico, people use silver sanitizing concentrates to clean fruits and vegetables. Common silver sanitizing concentrates used in Mexico are Microdyn and Bacdyn, both of which contain the active ingredient ionized silver and both are equally effective. For best use of these concentrates, just add 6 to 8 drops in 1 Liter (1000 ml) of water and then soak fruit, vegetables for about  10 minutes. After soaking for the specified time, place produces in a colander or on a  clean dish towel to drain. You don’t need to rinse off the soak solution (unless you used chlorine bleach, and then only with pure water). Allow to air dry completely, as drier fruits and vegetables stay fresher longer in the fridge. These silver sanitizing solutions kill all medically-relevant strains of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These are safe for people, plants, and animals and continue to disinfect surfaces long after the initial application. In Mexico, these are easily available in grocery stores in and come in different sized bottles. If you stay in any other country, you can buy it online on Amazon.

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Now we will discuss the second method to clean fruits and vegetables and make them virus free. This technique is very simple, all you need is a bowl of water heated to 50°C. Simply place the food into the hot water bowl and wash it.  The washing time varies among produce.  It is good to wash leafy vegetables like spinach separately, one leaf at a time.  Root vegetables should be washed by rubbing them gently with your hands in the water for about 3 to 5 minutes. Research from a laboratory-grown copy of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)  shows that heat affects the virus and impacts its behavior. Mr. Kazumasa Hirayama, a representative from the Cooking Technology Research Society, claims that washing wilted produce in 50℃ water (122°F) will restore its freshness. But be careful that water temperature should not be less than 50°C. Keep one thing in mind that if the water temperature is allowed to fall below 43°C, it becomes a prime breeding ground for bacteria.  Therefore it is recommended to change the water regularly, or keep adding 50°C water to hold it at a constant temperature.

Disclaimer: Information given in this article is collected from different internet sources.  We do not guarantee 100% weather these techniques work but we can prevent coronavirus up to great extent with these washing techniques. Also, take other precautions like washing hands regularly and maintain social distancing to prevent COVID-19 Disease. 

I hope you got the answer to your question thatHow to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to prevent Coronavirus”. If you find this article helpful, then don’t forget to share it with your known ones. If you have any question feel free to ask in the comment section below.

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