Why won’t microwaving spoiled food make it safe to eat?

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My understanding is that the cells of bacteria and fungi are filled with water enclosed in a balloon. Wouldn’t microwaving then pop the balloons?

In: Biology

12 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Everyone here is forgetting something. The wavelength of microwaves do not heat up bacteria.

Take a look at [this video](https://youtu.be/B8nnPYBc4hc). Ants can roam about in the *inside* of microwaves without being harmed, because they are smaller than the microwave wavelength. Much less bacteria.

So you can’t technically kill bacteria by putting them in the microwave. The heat from the actual food being heated *might* kill the bacteria, but it’s not “directly” from the microwave.

And then there’s the toxin part which everyone is referring to.

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