Fact Check: Viral Video Claims Mites Found on Instant Ramen

People are highly interested in the safety and health implications of the foods they consume, including concerns about parasites and other contaminants. This interest is often amplified by the spread of misleading information on social media, where posts can quickly go viral and cause unnecessary fear or confusion. Accurate and clear communication about food safety is crucial to counteract these misleading posts and provide the public with reliable information about potential health effects.

Social Media Posts

On January 28, 2024, a video surfaced on WhatsApp showing what appeared to be tiny bugs crawling on instant ramen noodles under a microscope. The video quickly went viral, prompting us to investigate its authenticity.

Fact Check

Tracing the Origin: The video, initially shared on WhatsApp, was traced back to TikTok. It was originally uploaded by a creator known as Micro Zoom Guy and quickly garnered over millions views. It can be reached here. The video was uploaded on 29^th January.

Finding Similar Videos: During the search, We also found a similar video by another TikTok creator, mir_glazami_microscopa ("world through the eyes of a microscope"), which had millions of views. Roman Kamburov, the creator behind this account, had previously admitted that 10% of his content was fake in a 2022 Snopes fact-check. The video was uploaded on January 25.

Creators' Statements: While speaking to Snopes, Kamburov maintained that his video showing mites on ramen was genuine, explaining that it demonstrated the importance of proper food storage to prevent contamination by dust mites. The Snopes fact check can be reached here.

Independent Verification: On February 1, 2024, another TikTok user named oneminmicro conducted a similar experiment. He found no bugs on his ramen, suggesting that the original videos might have been staged. However, this only confirmed the absence of bugs in that particular instance and did not conclusively prove the other videos were fake.

Analysis of the Original Video

Ramen Packaging: The video does not show the instant ramen being taken out of its packaging on camera. This omission raises the possibility that the ramen could have been contaminated off-camera, either accidentally or intentionally.

Glove Use: Micro Zoom Guy wears black-and-red work gloves in his videos, unlike the disposable gloves used by Kamburov and Walt. These reusable gloves could collect dust, detritus, and microorganisms, potentially introducing mites to the ramen during handling.

Bug Identification: The bugs in the video have eight legs, classifying them as mites

(arachnids), not insects. The presence of a single cluster of mites surrounded by detritus, compared to the cleaner ramen in other videos, suggests recent contamination rather than a factory-origin infestation.

Can Instant Ramen Be Polluted From Mites or Parasites?

It's very unlikely that you'll find mites or parasites in unopened instant ramen. Here's why:

Dry environment: Instant ramen is dehydrated, creating a dry environment that mites and parasites can't survive in.

Sealed packaging: The noodles are sealed in packets, preventing these organisms from entering.

High-temperature processing: During manufacturing, the noodles often undergo steaming or frying at high temperatures, which would kill any mites or parasites present. More details can be read here

Manufacturing facilities: Reputable instant ramen companies have strict quality control measures in place to prevent contamination throughout the production process.

Research was done in Malaysia in 2022 using six brands of ramen, and none of those were contaminated by insects or parasites. The research paper can be read here.

However, suppose packets are not sealed and open to the environment as large containers. In that case, there is an increased possibility of the prevalence of parasites, insects, mites, bacteria and all those parasites.

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Conclusion

While the video could be authentic, the lack of on-camera packaging, the use of reusable gloves, and the specific presentation of mites raise doubts about its authenticity. These factors suggest the possibility of external contamination or deliberate staging. Without definitive evidence, the authenticity of the viral video remains questionable. Viewer responses varied, with some even joking about the mites being a source of protein.