As Christmas approaches and the holiday season is in full swing, many weary eggnog lovers take to the web wondering if the raw eggs in their favorite holiday beverage are really safe to consume. Fortunately for eggnog lovers across the globe, the holiday favorite shouldn’t be feared when made correctly.
A few years ago, Science Friday set out to determine if eggnog was a bad case of salmonella waiting to happen, or if the alcohol in the eggnog could effectively kill the bacteria. In collaboration with microbiologist Vince Fischetti and his lab at The Rockefeller University, they were able to provide us with some solid results.
In the video , you can see the researchers creating a traditional batch of eggnog which includes raw eggs. However, to make sure the study is covering all the bases, the researchers include some straight salmonella bacteria into the cracked eggs.
The concern with traditional eggnog recipes is the raw eggs. Eggs could be contaminated with salmonella, but not every egg will have the deadly bacteria. Therefore, by adding the bacteria straight into the cracked eggs, the researchers knew with certainty that salmonella was in the original eggs used for the experiment.
The result, if you follow the instructions for the eggnog recipe and allow the eggnog to sit for three weeks or more before consuming, there were no signs of salmonella bacteria. In fact, the colony had completely disappeared.
What do you think of the eggnog experiment? Do you make homemade eggnog using raw eggs?
