Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

05:22
Preparation of Matcha Fresh Noodles with Stable Color using Embedding Method and Microwave Treatment
Published on: July 26, 2024
Noodles stay hotter longer
Avshalom Shalom1, Amy Bryant, Melissa Smith-Meek
1The Baltimore Regional Burn Center, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Summary
Noodle soup scald burns in children lead to significantly longer hospital stays compared to other soups. This is due to noodle soup
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Burn Injuries
- Food Safety
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- A 10-year review at Baltimore Regional Burn Center identified a high incidence of burns from prepared noodle soup.
- The perceived severity of these burns prompted a systematic investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the effect of noodle soup burns on pediatric patient hospitalization.
- To examine the physical properties of noodle soup compared to tap water.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patient records (1989-1999) admitted for scald burns from soup.
- Categorization into 'Noodle Soup' and 'Other Soup' groups.
- Comparison of burn severity, patient demographics, and physical properties (cooling curves).
Main Results:
- Of 27 pediatric soup burn admissions, 10 were from noodle soup and 17 from other soups.
- No significant difference in average age or body surface area affected.
- Patients with noodle soup burns had a significantly longer hospital stay (P < .010).
- Noodle soup exhibits a significantly slower cooling curve than tap water.
Conclusions:
- Noodle soup causes significantly longer hospitalizations than other types of soup burns in children.
- The slower cooling rate of noodle soup, despite similar boiling points to water, presents a greater burn risk to children.
Related Concept Videos
Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium
Heat and temperature are essential concepts for everyone every day. The study of heat and temperature is part of an area of physics known as thermodynamics. It is not always easy to distinguish heat and temperature.
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
Pasteurization and Food Preservation
Pasteurization is a widely employed thermal processing technique designed to enhance the safety and shelf life of perishable food and beverages. By subjecting products to specific high temperatures for controlled durations, this method effectively inactivates pathogenic microorganisms and spoilage enzymes without significantly compromising sensory qualities. The technique has been pivotal in food safety management, especially for consumables susceptible to microbial contamination such as milk,...
Principles of Food Preservation
Food spoilage results from microbial growth, enzymatic activity, and environmental factors that gradually degrade the sensory, nutritional, and safety qualities of food. Preservation techniques aim to slow or halt these processes to extend shelf life and maintain product quality.A key concept in food microbiology is the microbial growth curve, which includes four phases: lag, exponential (log), stationary, and death. During the lag phase, bacteria adjust to their environment without significant...
Effect of Temperature Change on Reaction Rate
The Arrhenius equation,
Heating and Cooling Curves
When a substance—isolated from its environment—is subjected to heat changes, corresponding changes in temperature and phase of the substance is observed; this is graphically represented by heating and cooling curves.
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...
Methods of Controlling Food Spoilage
Food spoilage is caused by microbial growth or by chemical and physical changes, all of which affect the taste, texture, and safety of food.Temperature-Based PreservationRefrigeration at 0–4 °C slows microbial growth and enzyme activity, making it ideal for short-term storage. However, certain spoilage organisms—such as psychrotrophs like Listeria monocytogenes—can still proliferate at these temperatures. Freezing below -18 °C further slows biological processes by forming ice crystals, which...
