CLEMSON, S.C. (WSVN) — A new study has shown that blowing out candles on a cake can add a tremendous amount of bacteria to the sweet treat.
According to Fox 29, a study conducted by Clemson University in South Carolina revealed that blowing out the candles on a cake can add as much as 1400 percent more bacteria to the dessert’s surface.
To conduct the experiment, subjects were asked to consume pizza and then blow out candles over a fake cake covered in icing.
Upon testing the icing retrieved from the cake, researchers found that the frosting had the increased amount of bacteria as compared to icing that had not been blown on.
The study concluded that, due to the transfer of oral bacteria to icing by blowing out birthday candles, the action of a person blowing onto the cake likely also transfers bacteria and other microorganisms from the person’s respiratory tract.
While this doesn’t mean you can’t blow out the candles on a cake, researchers cautioned that illnesses related to pathogenic bacteria are a major public health concern in today’s society.
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