Turns out there might be something to the "five-second rule" after all.
Food retrieved after just a few seconds is less likely to pick up bacteria compared with food left on the floor for a longer time, said a new study from Aston University's School of Life and Health Sciences.
Led by microbiology professor Anthony Hilton, a team of senior biology students found that time and the type of flooring are important when it comes to how much bacteria transfers to food dropped on the floor, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Bacteria is least likely to latch onto food that falls on carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from laminate or tiled surfaces, according to the study.
The students used toast, pasta, cookies and candy for the test, dropping the food items onto carpet, laminate and tile and then measuring the bacteria levels after 3 to 30 seconds of contact. Moist foods on the ground for more than five seconds picked up the most bacteria.
"Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time; however the findings of this study will bring some light relief to those who have been employing the five-second rule for years, despite a general consensus that it is purely a myth," Hilton said in a statement.
"We have found evidence that transfer from indoor flooring surfaces is incredibly poor with carpet actually posing the lowest risk of bacterial transfer onto dropped food."
The research team also surveyed people to see whether or not they employed the five-second rule, finding that 87 percent of those surveyed would eat food dropped on the floor.
The L.A. Times noted that the study hasn't yet been peer-reviewed or officially published.
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