On 05/03/2015 00:11, michael adams wrote:
"stuart noble" wrote in message news:mVJJw.259846

Wooden tops are good looking but hopelessly unhygienic

That's exactly what EHO's were claiming in the early 90's
when successfully closing down butchers shops, craft cheese
makers who relied on wooden shelving and even the naval
tradition of stirring rum with an oar on Trafalgar Day.

Then a few years later after all the damage was done it was
found thet wood had antibacterial properties and was in fact
more hygenich than plastic. In short wood absorbs bacteria
by capillary action where they eventally die whereas
bacteria can thrive in microscopic cuts in plastic
boards.

quote

Our research was first intended to develop means of disinfecting wooden
cutting surfaces at home, so that they would be almost as safe as plastics.
Our safety concern was that bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and
Salmonella, which might contaminate a work surface when raw meat was
being prepared, ought not remain on the surface to contaminate other
foods that might be eaten without further cooking. We soon found that
disease bacteria such as these were not recoverable from wooden surfaces
in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were
used. New plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to persist, but were
easily cleaned and disinfected. However, wooden boards that had been
used and had many knife cuts acted almost the same as new wood, whereas
plastic surfaces that were knife-scarred were impossible to clean and
disinfect manually, especially when food residues such as chicken fat
were present. Scanning electron micrographs revealed highly significant
damage to plastic surfaces from knife cuts.


Although the bacteria that have disappeared from the wood surfaces are found
alive inside the wood for some time after application, they evidently do not
multiply, and they gradually die. They can be detected only by splitting or
gouging the wood or by forcing water completely through from one surface to
the other. If a sharp knife is used to cut into the work surfaces after used
plastic or wood has been contaminated with bacteria and cleaned manually,
more bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface than from a used wood surface.

/quote

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/fa...ttingboard.htm


michael adams

...




Interesting. I prefer a light coloured formica so I can actually see
what needs wiping off. Wooden surfaces don't offer that, and nor do the
dark coloured immitation marble type tops. Wood may be technically
better in laboratory conditions but it tends to encourage sloppiness IME.