Many people use their refrigerator as a "food disinfection cabinet" at home, believing that food stored in the refrigerator is hygienic. In fact, because refrigerators store food for long periods without regular cleaning, they can breed many bacteria.
The University of Georgia Center for Food Safety suggests that while food in the refrigerator may look fresh on the outside, it may have actually spoiled. Cooked meats should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than 4 days. The common refrigeration temperature for food preservation is 4 to 8°C. At this temperature, the growth rate of most bacteria slows down. However, some bacteria are psychrophilic, such as Yersinia and Listeria, which can actually multiply rapidly at this temperature. Consuming food infected with these bacteria can cause intestinal diseases.
In the freezer of the refrigerator, the temperature is generally around -18°C. At this temperature, most bacteria are inhibited or killed, so the food stored here has a better preservative effect. However, freezing does not equal complete sterilization, as some bacteria with strong cold resistance can survive. Therefore, from another perspective, if the refrigerator is not disinfected regularly, it can become a "breeding ground" for some bacteria.
The storage time for any food in the refrigerator should not be too long. It is best to buy and eat it as soon as possible, because long storage time not only affects the freshness of the food but also easily produces odors. Some fruits, such as bananas and apples, can also spoil easily if left for too long, and once spoiled, they can release a harmful gas to the human body. Also, do not store too much food in the refrigerator, as this can cause the outer temperature of the food to be low while the inner temperature is high, leading to spoilage.