It’s not uncommon to find yourself with leftovers when cooking for your family. Most of the time, we simply store them in the refrigerator to eat later. Sometimes, we even eat them the next day or in the days that follow.
Recently, however, there has been much discussion about leftover cooked rice and the potential risks of improper storage.
This phenomenon, widely discussed on social media, is known as “fried rice syndrome” and “reheating syndrome.”
According to experts, cooked rice represents an ideal environment for the proliferation of bacteria, particularly Bacillus cereus.
If we leave cooked rice at room temperature for too long, even more than an hour, bacterial spores begin to grow, producing toxins.
Consuming this rice can cause food poisoning, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and severe diarrhea. Symptoms can appear as early as an hour after consumption. In some cases, food poisoning can even lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
The problem is that not many people will ever suspect that leftover rice is the cause of their discomfort.
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