Fact check: Refrigerating rice causes it to breed Bacillus cereus bacteria and mold, which release dangerous mycotoxins.

Verdict: mixed — Trust Score 59/100

Unable to fully verify this content.

Platform
tiktok
Source author
seed.quest — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN88WFe7q/
Verified on
August 16, 2026
Verification ID
5I965w_PzR23EjKuECbUQQ

Original content reviewed

Platform: TIKTOK Author: @seed.quest --- Audio Transcript (What was said) --- There is one food that you should never refrigerate. This food literally becomes toxic overnight when you leave it in the fridge. And I can almost guarantee that you're doing this as well and that you're refrigerating your rice. When rice gets cold, it breeds Basillus ceres bacteria in mold that releases dangerous mycotoxins. And the worst part is that you can't smell it, you can't see it, and you can't even taste it. These toxins slowly hijack your body causing brain fog, hormone imbalance, immune suppression and even gut issues. Here's what you should do instead. Cool your rice quickly within one hour and make sure you eat it within 24 hours. Never leave your rice in the fridge overnight. So I scanned one of the most popular rice products with the reveal it app and it came back with a score of 18 out of 100, flagging ingredients like modified food starch, natural flavor, sunflower oil, citric acid and mono and diglycerides. Unbelievable. --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes THIS FOOD LITERALLY --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes BECOMES OVERNIGHT --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes ALMOST GUARANTEE THAT SOURCE PLATFORM: unclear --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes THAT YOU'RE REFRIGERATING --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes WHEN RICE GETS --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes YOU CAN'T SEE --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes THESE SLOWLY YOUR --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes HORMONE IMBALANCE --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes EVEN ISSUES --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes COOL YOUR RICE SOURCE PLATFORM: unclear --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes YOU EAT IT --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes ONE OF THE --- The Rice Mistake Everyone Makes 19:47 Reveal it White Rice, 5kg 5KG Bag Superstore Brand 18 / 100 Bad Safety 8 Efficacy 8 Transparency 40 FLAGGED INGREDIENTS Sunflower oil Processing Aid Can be highly inflammatory when processed. High risk Mono- and digly

Claims analyzed (6)

  1. mostly true: Refrigerating rice causes it to breed Bacillus cereus bacteria and mold, which release dangerous mycotoxins.
    Cooked rice, if left unrefrigerated for extended periods, can allow Bacillus cereus spores to germinate and multiply, producing toxins. While refrigeration slows bacterial growth, it does not eliminate existing spores or toxins already formed. The claim about mold and mycotoxins in this context is less commonly emphasized in food safety guidelines for Bacillus cereus, which primarily focuses on bacterial toxins. Some sources indicate that Bacillus cereus can produce toxins, but the direct link t
  2. verified: These toxins are undetectable by smell, sight, or taste.
    Multiple sources confirm that the toxins produced by Bacillus cereus cannot be detected by smell, sight, or taste. Food contaminated with these toxins can appear and taste normal.
  3. mixed: These toxins can cause brain fog, hormone imbalance, immune suppression, and gut issues.
    Bacillus cereus toxins are known to cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. While gut issues are directly linked, the broader claims of brain fog, hormone imbalance, and immune suppression are not consistently or directly attributed to Bacillus cereus toxins in the provided medical and food safety literature. Brain fog can be linked to gut imbalances and inflammation, but a direct causal link specifically from Bacillus cereus mycotoxins to hormone imbalance or immun
  4. verified: Rice should be cooled quickly within one hour and eaten within 24 hours.
    Food safety guidelines recommend cooling cooked rice rapidly, ideally within one hour, to minimize the time it spends in the 'danger zone' where bacteria can multiply. It should be refrigerated promptly and consumed within 24 hours, or at most 3-4 days, with some sources specifically recommending consumption within 24 hours for reheated rice.
  5. unverifiable: A popular rice product scored 18 out of 100 on the "Reveal it" app.
    While the "Reveal it" app (and similar apps like "Revealia" and "FoodReveal") exists and claims to score products based on ingredients, there is no publicly verifiable information to confirm that a specific "Superstore Brand White Rice" product received a score of 18/100 on this app. The app's scoring methodology is proprietary, and specific product scores are not independently verifiable.
  6. mixed: The "Reveal it" app flagged ingredients in the popular rice product including modified food starch, natural flavor, sunflower oil, citric acid, and mono and diglycerides.
    The "Reveal it" app and similar apps are designed to flag ingredients based on their perceived health risks. While these ingredients are commonly found in processed foods and some studies suggest potential health concerns for each, the specific flagging by the "Reveal it" app for a particular rice product cannot be independently verified. However, general information about the potential health implications of these ingredients is available.

Sources consulted (29)

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