LITTLE ROCK — The great sitcom Seinfeld contributed a classic bit to the annals of American televised humor when gastronomic oaf George Costanza was caught double-dipping at a party.
“You double-dipped a chip,” Timmy, an outraged witness, cried. “You dipped the chip, you took a bite andyou dipped again. That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip.”
Turns out that science sides with Timmy. Partygoers share too much when they go back to the communal bowl of dip for seconds with the same chip.
Food science students at Clemson University examined the effects of double-dipping using volunteers, wheat crackers and several sample dips. They found that three to six double dips in one bowl transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eaters’ mouths to the remaining dip.
The research was published earlier this year online in the Journal of Food Safety.
ActiveStyle, Pages 25 on 12/28/2009