Why do soups and teas go bad and unsafe to drink if left out in room temperature for a few hours but it’s perfectly safe to drink a glass of water left out overnight?

Question

Wouldn’t bacteria also grow in the water left out and release toxins?

In: 43

Answer 1

Bacteria need two things to grow and be a risk to you.

1) something to live in

2) something to eat

Water is a great thing for bacteria to live in. Tepid, still water is their absolute favorite.

The bits of meat and veggies in soup are excellent things for bacteria to eat. This combined with the fact that soup has a lot of water in it makes it the perfect place for bacteria to live and reproduce.

Meanwhile plain tap water itself has very little in it as far as things the bacteria can eat. So while there is plenty of bacteria in the water itself that settles in from the air, they can’t grow at a fast pace because there isn’t a good source of energy for them.

Meanwhile in concentrated things like honey or pure sugar the low water content will actually suck water out of the bacteria and kill them. So while they have plenty of food, they don’t have enough water to live.