ANTIPASTS

Do you like buffets? Here's what to look out for in summer

Summer is synonymous with hot weather, young people going out, aperitifs on the beach and buffet dinners. What is certain, however, is that when temperatures exceed 40 degrees, as is now the norm in much of southern Europe and the United States, attention must be paid to buffet food and its state of preservation.

Immunologist Mauro Minelli, lecturer in Dietetics and Human Nutrition at the LUM University of Bari, gave some useful advice on what to watch out for, what to eat, and what it would be best to avoid at a buffet serving many people for many hours in a row.

Heat, bacteria and toxins are the main dangers to watch out for, but they are not the only ones.

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The dangers of the summer buffet: what to watch out for
Summer is synonymous with hot weather, young people going out, aperitifs on the beach and buffet dinners. What is certain, however, is that when temperatures exceed 40 degrees, as is now the norm in much of southern Europe and the United States, attention must be paid to buffet food and its state of preservation. Immunologist Mauro Minelli, lecturer in Dietetics and Human Nutrition at the LUM University of Bari, gave some useful advice on what to watch out for, what to eat, and what it would be best to avoid at a buffet serving many people for many hours in a row. Heat, bacteria and toxins are the main dangers to watch out for, but they are not the only ones.
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The importance of standards
Failure to observe even a few of the required hygiene rules, the professor explains, could lead to numerous symptoms, mainly of a gastrointestinal nature, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sometimes even fever.
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Beware of dairy products and cold meats
Dairy products made from unpasteurised milk, as well as meats served cold after being cooked in moist sauces, are some of the main foods that cause problems in a buffet, due to their poor preservation and resistance to high temperatures.
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Be wary of sushi at the buffet
In general, one should always be careful with raw food at the buffet, but more attention should be paid to raw fish, usually served in the form of sushi. In fact, eating fish that has not been properly slaughtered, or even simply not properly cleaned, gutted and preserved, it should be remembered, can become a vehicle for bacterial infections.
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Beware of eggs and mayonnaise
Dishes with eggs and egg products, such as mayonnaise, are not a good choice for buffets. Usually, these dishes are changed during the course of the evening, but this may not be the case. High summer temperatures do not allow proper storage of these foods, which should be kept at a temperature of no more than 5°C. If this does not happen, they will no longer be edible within a few hours, with very bad intestinal consequences.
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Before eating, we always observe
Even without being a culinary expert, usually, the look, smell and first taste of a dish let us know immediately whether we are eating something good or strange. Beware of the quantities of alcohol ingested, which may dull the senses and not allow us to recognise inedible food.
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