• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Microbiologist shares disturbing discovery about cinema popcorn that might put you off it forever

Home> News

Published 10:04 2 Mar 2024 GMT

Microbiologist shares disturbing discovery about cinema popcorn that might put you off it forever

Okay, we're officially grossed out by cinema popcorn

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

Featured Image Credit: Edward Berthelot/WireImage/Getty Images/Tiktok/Whatmightgrow

Topics: News, Science

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

A microbiologist has made an eery discovery about cinema popcorn - and it'll make you think twice about when you eat the snack, that's for sure.

Tim, who runs TikTok account @whatmightgrow, explained how he wanted to conduct an experiment about popcorn sold in cinemas.

Tim tested cinema popcorn.
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

For most of us, popcorn is the number one choice at the cinema, alongside the likes of pick n mix, nachos and of course, all the overpriced bags of chocolate.

Advert

But what Tim discovered about the snack - and cinemas in general - is pretty gross.

In fact, it'll make you completely re-think the 'five-second rule'.

In the clip, Tim collected fresh popcorn from the paper bag and popcorn that had fallen on the floor during the film.

He took it back to the lab, and placed samples from each container into a petri dish, before popping in the incubator.

The results were pretty astounding.

Advert


Tim found that the popcorn that had been on the floor was covered in bacteria and fungus.

Meanwhile, the 'fresh' popcorn had a small amount of bacteria, which Tim guessed would be Staphylococcus, which is commonly found on humans.

Tim explained: "In this fun experiment, I went to a movie theater and tested the popcorn they sold.

Advert

"Additionally, for comparison, I grabbed some popcorn off the floor to show that bacteria can grow on popcorn. Unsuprisingly, popcorn from the floor is filthy."

Tim explained that when he worked as a microbiologist, he would commonly test items that had been on the floor.

"EVERY SINGLE TIME I would find some of the craziest growths and via PCR it was determined to almost always have pathogens present. The most common pathogen I would see were Staphylococcus, Listeria, E. Coli, and Salmonella," he added.

The floor popcorn was filled with bacteria and fungus.
TikTok/@whatmightgrow

So next time you drop food on the floor and apply the five-second rule, you might want to think again.

Advert

"The lesson of this mini experiment is to show what you would find if you were to eat things off the floor," Tim added.

"I wish I knew this as a little kid, because I was notorious for going to the candy section where you could scoop out candy into bags, and eating any candy that was on the floor."

People were pretty horrified in the comments, with one person writing: "Moral of the story: don't eat floor popcorn!"

While another said: "This is why there is no such thing as a 5 second rule."

This has seriously made us re-think our habits.

  • Scientists find 'fingerprints' in shocking discovery that could change everything we know about the weather
  • Woman shares 'dark secrets' about cruise ship pools that might make you think twice about using one
  • 'Most disturbing archaeological discovery' saw scientists find Aztec tower of human skulls
  • Truth behind 'disturbing discovery scientists made from below Earth' while digging the deepest ever hole

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • Instagram/donciccioosteria
    an hour ago

    Restaurant owner hits out at locals who ‘humiliated’ staff as they’re forced to close down

    The Italian spot 'thanked' those for 'never supporting' it

    News
  • Getty/Anadolu
    2 hours ago

    How to see rare comet tonight for last time in 1,300 years

    Lemmon will zoom past our planet very soon

    News
  • Getty Stock Images
    4 hours ago

    Pharmacist warns of the detrimental effect your heating could be having on your health

    A pharmacist has warned of the negative health impacts your central heating could be having and how to combat them

    News
  • YouTube/Hospice Nurse Julie
    4 hours ago

    Woman who has seen ‘thousands of deaths’ says she now lives by seven key rules

    Julie McFadden has worked as an end-of-life carer for nearly a decade

    News