Encomium
Adding lemon to your drink gives it a sour taste. According to a new study, lemons can also contaminate your drink.
An Environmental Health journal in 2007 looked at the cleanliness of different lemon slices in 21 restaurants.
A group of researchers scrubbed each wedge and found that just under 70 per cent of lemons sliced produced some sort of microbial growth.
“The microbes found on the lemon samples in our investigation all have the potential to cause infectious diseases at various body sites,” the researchers observed.
People who patronize restaurants should be aware that lemon slices added to beverages may include potentially pathogenic microbes.
Adding that people are touching the lemon in your glass, handling it, cutting it, placing it in a cup or glass and then picking up those slices at a later point in time and dropping them into your drink and putting them on the rim of your glass.
Philip Tiemo, who is a Clinical professor of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine, USA, suggests ways to cut down having contaminated fruit in your glass.
“Make sure you wash your hands before you slice the lemon. Keep a keen eye on the cleanliness of the bartender serving you. You can also avoid having a slice of lemon in your glass,” he explained.
