Mold & Food Growth
Perhaps you have discovered a spot of mold on a block of cheddar cheese and wondered if it is safe to cut it off and eat the rest. Many people have different philosophies regarding mold and food safety, but to be sure you are keeping your family in the best of health with minimal risk of sickness from mold or fungi, follow the guidelines the USDA has laid out for food safety and handling. Does this Spark an idea?
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Mold
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Mold is the growth of fungi on plants or animals. Molds are many celled and are often visible to the naked eye. Observed under a microscope they resemble slender mushrooms. The spores that form the ends of the stalks give the molds the color you can see. Molds contain branches and roots. Many times the roots are too small for the human eye to see, so it is not always OK to eat food after the mold has been removed.
Safe After Mold Removal
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Foods that have mold on them can be eaten after the mold is removed if they are hard, dry-cured meats like salami and country ham, hard cheese or cheese made with mold, and firm fruits and vegetables like cabbage, carrots and bell peppers.
Some foods should not be eaten, even if the surface mold is removed. These include lunch meat, bacon or hot dogs, cooked leftovers of any kind, soft cheese, yogurt and sour cream, soft fruits and vegetables, baked goods, and beans, peas or legumes. -
Beneficial Mold
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Certain kinds of cheeses contain molds that grow internally or externally. Some cheeses even contain both. Blue-veined cheeses, such as Stilton, Gorgonzola and Roquefort, contain internal mold. Brie and Camembert have white surface molds.
Mycotoxins and Aflotoxin
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Mycotoxins are poisonous substances that affect many corn and grain crops. They have also been found in grape juice, apples and celery. Mycotoxins can be present without any visible signs of mold and risk of mycotoxicology increases with poor storage conditions of grain or corn flour.
Aflotoxins are a type of mycotoxin that has been known to cause cancer. It is a fungi found on food and feed. It is present on many crops including corn and peanuts and is considered an unavoidable contaminant. The USDA has taken steps to limit the amount of exposure humans receive by removing crops that contain unacceptable levels of aflotoxin.
Minimizing Mold Growth
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Keeping mold at a minimum in your house takes a few steps: Clean out your refrigerator on a regular basis to reduce mold growth on spilled or leftover food. Wash any dishcloths or towels that smell musty. Discard any moldy smelling mops or sponges that cannot be cleaned or washed. Examine all food that you purchase, checking for mold. Cover food you are serving. Transfer unused canned goods to a clean storage container and refrigerate immediately. Use leftovers within three to four days. Refrigerate cooked food within two hours.
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References
- Photo Credit mould image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
