Eating a juicy beef burger is an ideal meal for many.
But devouring a medium hamburger increases the risk of food poisoning by 30 times, according to researchers in Finland.
If all hamburgers were well-cooked, only about 180 people in the country would be affected by E. coli each year, the models suggested.
However, the figure would reach around 5,300 if each were served in a medium size, scientists from the country’s food watchdog found.
While harmful insects are usually limited to the outside of a piece of meat, when it is ground and turned into a burger, these insects can spread throughout the entire burger.
Devouring a rare or medium hamburger increases the risk of food poisoning by 30 times, according to Finnish researchers
This means that undercooking burgers made with ground beef carries a risk of food poisoning.
The team, from the Finnish Food Authority, surveyed food establishments about their cooking practices and conducted a risk assessment.
Analyzes showed that if just one-tenth of hamburgers were cooked medium-rare, to an internal temperature of 55°C (131°F), there would be 100 cases of food poisoning per 100,000 residents in Finland per year.
However, if all beef burgers were fully cooked, only three people per 100,000 would get sick.
Beef can become riddled with bacteria when cows are slaughtered, as insects from the animals’ intestines can contaminate the surface of the meat. according to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, including E. coli O157, are some of the most common insects found in raw meat.
Even in very low doses, these bacteria can cause food poisoning, cause serious illness, and in the most severe cases, lead to death.
When a cut of meat is charred on the outside, it is killed.
But when meat is ground into burgers, the insects on the surface spread throughout the burger, rather than being confined to the outside.
That’s why hamburgers are made this way. Food safety experts say filet should be served well-done, while porterhouse steak can be served raw.
However, cooking a hamburger thoroughly (at 70°C (158°F) for two minutes) kills 99.9 percent of harmful insects that could put human health at risk, which is an acceptable level for safety. food, says the FSA.
Burgers can look pink on the inside and still have been cooked to this level.
However, the FSA recommends that people cooking burgers at home make sure the burger is not pink, is very hot and that the juice runs clear.
Dr Kimon-Andreas Karatzas, associate professor of food microbiology at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: “We cook food partly to kill all these harmful bacteria that can make us sick or even kill us.
‘It is necessary to raise the temperature to lethal levels, at least 71°C or higher, for long enough to kill any bacteria living in the food.
“If you eat rare burgers, there’s a much higher chance that the disease-causing bacteria inside haven’t been heated enough to kill them, so they may still be alive and then multiply in your body, potentially making you in a very sick person.” sick.
“This can leave you with permanent disability, such as loss of kidney function requiring frequent hemodialysis or kidney transplant, or even lead to death.”
He added: “I like a rare steak because the meat is not minced and therefore there is less chance of bad bacteria inside the meat.”
‘But I always, always cook my burgers well done.
“Even if a steak and a hamburger are made from the same piece of meat, you need to cook the hamburger thoroughly, even if you can eat the steak raw.”
Food poisoning can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as stomach cramps, fever, and a general feeling of malaise.
Symptoms usually disappear within a week without treatment, and health chiefs recommend drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
However, in severe cases, the bacteria behind food poisoning can cause serious complications.
For example, E. coli O157 produces a toxin that can break down and destroy red blood cells, which can lead to kidney failure.