In which meat are most often parasites and whether cooking kills them – an explanation
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Parasite larvae may remain in half-raw or poorly cooked meat.
The incubation period is several months, but symptoms – diarrhea, indigestion, weight loss, appetite – can appear faster.
Iryna Krasko, an infectious disease doctor of the “Dobrobut” medical network, told about how to protect oneself from parasites in meat.
What parasites can live in meat
The most common parasites in meat are hookworms.
“Beef and pork knuckles may be in meat that has not passed veterinary control. They cause a disease such as teniosis.
The parasite “settles” in the human intestine, damages its walls. It can also absorb vitamin B12, which humans need for nerve tissue and building blood cells.”– explained Iryna Krasko.
| Photo: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos |
There is also another parasite – trichinella. It is found quite rarely – in game and pork.
Pigs can be protected from this parasite in advance – for this, animals need to be fed only with certified feed and not allowed to eat the corpses of other animals.
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can also be found in food – it causes a disease such as toxoplasmosis. You can become infected with it through the consumption of undercooked or raw meat, through contaminated vegetables or from unwashed hands.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers this parasite to be the fourth most potentially harmful parasite in the world. According to preliminary estimates, 30–50% of the world’s population is infected with this parasite.
How to protect yourself from contamination by parasites in meat
Iryna Krasko notes that parasites can sometimes be seen with the naked eye in the meat – they can be white fibers in raw meat from several millimeters in length. Such meat should be thrown away, because it is dangerous to eat these fibers even after processing.
In order to protect yourself from parasites, the meat must be subjected to sufficient heat treatment. It should be:
- not red;
- without blood;
- soft
“Salting, smoking, drying, aging in salt cabinets does not kill parasites. Therefore, it is worth processing such meat to minimize the risk of infection.
The meat should be sufficiently boiled, fried or stewed. It should be cooked for at least 30 minutes and reach an internal temperature of 63°C to 71°C“, the doctor said.
The same applies to fish – the meat should be opaque, separate from the bones and reach 70°C and above, the specialist added.
What are the symptoms of parasite infection
According to Iryna Krasko, cases of parasite infection from meat are decreasing every year. But in case of malaise, you should consult a doctor.
“It’s a fairly typical illness where the patient has diarrhea, bloating, and constipation — and these conditions alternate over the course of about a month with no apparent dietary cause.”says the infectious disease specialist.
She added that people with weak immunity are mostly at risk.
We remind you that despite the small number of cases, there is a risk of infection with parasites. In Lviv, in 2023, a patient was operated on, whose liver and gall bladder were almost destroyed by parasites.
Read also: How to properly defrost meat: 4 methods from experts
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