admiral_ju00 Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 aka Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. I have a question on this, something that's been annoying me for a while. One of the things that make this a deadly problem in humans is their genetic predisposition(there is a gene or two in our genome that make it possible or easier), meaning if you have the genes, then more likely you will develop it after eating the meat, etc. However, something that I'm curios on is this, how do the prions survive the cooking and or burning process? Assuming that the meat you've just BBQ'd is Well-Done as opposed to Medium-Rare or worse yet, Rare, where the cause and effect is very obvious. So, taking a slice from a cow which is known to have BSE, will it give you the BSE if the meat was thoroughly(Well-Done) cooked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 So, taking a slice from a cow which is known to have BSE, will it give you the BSE if the meat was thoroughly(Well-Done) cooked? Well, from what my science teacher told me, yes, it will affect you sadly. I don't remember him telling me why the prions aren't destroyed when heated though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiral_ju00 Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Interesting. I would say "deadly" if I were you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 it would suggest to me, that Prion proteins are simple enough not to become easily denatured with heat as more complex proteins are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Isn't denaturing only for enzymes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 nope, that`s why egg albumen (mostly protein) turns white when denatured (heat or acids) or fish blood or meats etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 oh ok. But, people have tried to really heat it up to far more extreme temperatures in the hope to destroy it. Far higher than normal cooking would ever do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 indeed they have, and that`s why it suggests a simple protein, with bonds arranged in such a way to remain unaffected by conventional sterilisation methods, be in no doubt that charing temps wouldn`t destroy it! it also render your Burger a candidate for the next BBQ charcoal line up LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 LOL! Possibly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now