Dean Cliver, an expert in food microbiology at the University of California Davis, was the OG of cutting-board research. In the early 1990s, Cliver, who died in 2011, and his colleagues set out to discover how home cooks could clean their wooden cutting boards so that wooden boards would be as safe to use as the plastic variety.
But the results of their experiments showed that the plastic boards weren’t necessarily safer than the wooden ones. Or to be more precise, under the same experimental conditions, the wooden boards harbored fewer bacteria than the plastic ones. (Science is like that. You don’t always find what you’re expecting. And if you do always find what you’re expecting, you might want to re-think your approach.)
Cutting Boards are Bacteria Traps
Plastic boards are easier to sanitize. But wood has some properties that plastic doesn’t. For one thing, the woods commonly used in cutting boards are harder than plastic, so they’re less likely to end up with lots of grooves and gouges that can provide cozy homes for colonies of bacteria.
But, perhaps the most intriguing finding concerns a feature of wood you might think was a downside: Wood is porous. In a study published in 1994, Cliver and colleagues found that when the researchers inoculated the wooden boards with bacteria, it was difficult to recover the bacteria. That’s because it was no longer on the surface of the wood. The bacteria had been drawn into the interior of the wood.
The authors of a 2023 study explain how this happens: When cutting boards are washed, the wood soaks up the water, along with any remaining bacteria, leaving the surface of the wood clean. The bacteria, trapped inside the board, eventually die.
Though all types of wood tested had some antibacterial effect, some woods (red oak and white oak) were better at removing Listeria, while others (European beech) were better at removing Salmonella, according to the 2023 study.
That research also found that the finish on the wood matters. Cutting boards treated with linseed oil or mineral oil did not absorb the bacteria as well as untreated boards, at least for 24 hours, leaving more bacteria on the surface. The authors recommend passing on those wood treatment products often sold alongside wooden cutting boards and chopping blocks.
Read More: What are Different Types of Food Poisoning and How Can You Avoid Them?
Microplastics and Plastic Cutting Boards
One concern about plastic boards is that tiny bits of plastic — microplastics — can chip off the board when you’re chopping your chops or slicing your carrots and get into your food.
Although there hasn’t been a lot of research in this area, several studies have raised concerns. For example, one recent study found that plastic cutting boards can be a substantial source of microplastics in food. Until more research is done, however, we won’t know if this could impact health.
Wood vs Plastic: Which Is Cleaner?
So, which is best, plastic or wood? Barring more research on microplastic contamination, either is fine, say most experts. The issue is not so much which type of cutting board you use but how you use and care for it, explains Janet Buffer, food-safety expert at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.
No matter what your cutting board is made of, you need to be scrupulous about cleaning it, she says. That means washing the board in hot soapy water after every use. (For plastic boards, this can be done in the dishwasher, but the high heat of dishwashers warps and cracks wooden boards.) Once the board has been thoroughly scrubbed, give it a sanitizing rinse. Buffer recommends a mild solution of one teaspoon of bleach to two cups of water.
Another best practice, according to Buffer, is to use separate boards for veggies and meats. And vegetarians take note: You need to be just as careful as carnivores when it comes to cleanliness. Buffer points out that produce, especially leafy greens, has been implicated in outbreaks of food-borne illness.
“So even after you’ve handled produce, wash, rinse, and sanitize your cutting board after use,” she says.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: Fruits and Veggies Could Combat the Harmful Effects of Microplastics
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Avery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She’s the author of Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AI–interests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.
