An American man has put his health at risk after consuming 120 raw eggs in a live performance on reality TV show America’s Got Talent.
Patrick ‘Deep Dish’ Bertoletti, a 30-year-old cook from Chicago, astounded both the judges and the audience when he drank four glass jugs filled to the brim with raw eggs.
Bertoletti, who owns his own food truck, is a self-described ‘extreme eater’ who competes professionally in various eating competitions.
The dangers of raw eggs
Raw and undercooked eggs pose a serious food safety threat due to the increased risk of them containing harmful bacteria.
One of the most common types of bacteria found in raw eggs is Salmonella. If consumed this dangerous bacteria can cause food poisoning, which often results in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea and fever.
‘Salmonella is the most common type of bacteria associated with foodborne illness outbreaks in Australia,’ according to the NSW Food Authority.
The safest way to eat eggs is to first ensure that you kill all bacteria. This is achieved by cooking eggs to a high enough temperature, 75 degrees Celsius or above, for at least 3 minutes.
However, like other foods, there is more to food safety than the correct cooking temperature. To help ensure the eggs are safe to eat, you must also store, handle and prepare them properly.
A great way to find out the best way of doing this is by completing one of our food safety courses!
World record risk
Back to Berlotti though and the effort has reportedly earned him a World Record although he has admitted that the most likely reason he achieved one was – “because nobody’s dumb enough to do this but me”.