Double-dipping your snacks could be a major health hazard

Think twice before double-dipping your snacks the next time, for a new study has found that the popular party practice is actually a major health hazard.

Sydney, Jan 31 : Think twice before double-dipping your snacks the next time, for a new study has found that the popular party practice is actually a major health hazard.

Us researchers were inspired to investigate the practice after watching an episode of hit comedy show Seinfeld.

In the show, character George Costanza is rounded on at a funeral reception after dipping the same chip twice.

Clemson University food microbiologist Paul Dawson, along with his team of nine students, made participants to bite a wheat cracker and dip the cracker for three seconds into a tablespoon of dip.

The research team asked the volunteers to repeat the process with new crackers, for a total of either three or six double dips per dip sample.

The researchers then analysed the remaining dip and counted the number of aerobic bacteria in it.

Results showed that on average, three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater's mouth to the remaining dip.

They said that each cracker picked up between 1-2g dip, meaning periodic double-dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite.

"The way I would put it is, before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, 'would I be willing to kiss everyone here?' Because you don't know who might be double-dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you," News.com.au quoted Professor Dawson, as telling the New York Times.

ANI