Molds: cut off or use?

What is mold?

Mold is a type of fungus that forms multicellular, thread-like structures.Molds are very commonly found in nature and considered important agricultural products, which also cause problems with contaminants along with finished products. The metabolites that can cause serious health problems, both economic and molds are mycotoxins.

Which Foods Can Be Contaminated With Mold?

Mold can grow on almost all foods. Molds produce spores that can be transported by air, water or insects.Once these spores reach the surface of the foods, they grow into molds. Food that’s most likely to have mold growth tends to be fresh with a high water content.

Is Mold Harmful?

Mold can produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. These can cause disease and even death.Aflatoxin is the most toxic known mycotoxin. Mycotoxin may cause allergic reactions, respiratory problems.

There may be times that you accidentally eat moldy food. Many times, molds with low potency get digested and then excreted from the body without you even noticing it.

Are All Molds Harmful?

Some molds are used in the manufacture of cheeses, flavorings and chemical additives for foods.Certain types of cheeses are ripened by mold . Camembert is ripened by Penicillium camemberti, and Roquefort is by Penicillium roqueforti.Some of the products of mold metabolism have great importance.The Penicillium mold has another important use, namely the production of antibiotics.Other molds are used in various industrial processes.

Ways To Keep Mold Off Of Your Food

-Examine food well before you buy it. Check food in glass jars, look at the stem areas on fresh produce, and avoid bruised produce.

-Food that has been cut or ground should be wrapped and consumed quickly.

-When serving food, keep it covered to prevent exposure to mold spores in the air.

-Clean fridge regularly.Storage containers should be clean and well sealed.

-Food that's left in the fridge for a long time can end up with mold on it.

-If the humidity in kitchen stays at a very high level for a long time it can cause mold to start to grow.

Cut off or Discard?

Soft food has a high moisture content, so mold can easily grow below its surface.if you find mold in soft food, you should discard it.Hard food items can be used if the mold is cut off.If the food is completely covered with mold you should throw it away.

FOOD	HANDLING	REASON
Luncheon meats, bacon, or hot dogs	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Hard salami and dry-cured country hams	Use. Scrub mold off surface.	It is normal for these shelf-stable products to have surface mold.
Cooked leftover meat and poultry	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Cooked casseroles	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Cooked grain and pasta	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Hard cheese (not cheese where mold is part of the processing)	Use. Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese). After trimming off the mold, re-cover the cheese in fresh wrap.	Mold generally cannot penetrate deep into the product.
Cheese made with mold (such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Brie, Camembert)	Discard soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert if they contain molds that are not a part of the manufacturing process. If surface mold is on hard cheeses such as Gorgonzola and Stilton, cut off mold at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot and handle like hard cheese (above).	Molds that are not a part of the manufacturing process can be dangerous.
Soft cheese (such as cottage, cream cheese, Neufchatel, chevre, Bel Paese, etc.) Crumbled, shredded, and sliced cheeses (all types)	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Shredded, sliced, or crumbled cheese can be contaminated by the cutting instrument. Moldy soft cheese can also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Yogurt and sour cream	Discard	Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also have bacteria growing along with the mold.
Jams and jellies	Discard	The mold could be producing a mycotoxin. Microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mold and using the remaining condiment.
Fruits and vegetables, FIRM (such as cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, etc.)	Use. Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce).	Small mold spots can be cut off FIRM fruits and vegetables with low moisture content. It's difficult for mold to penetrate dense foods.
Fruits and vegetables, SOFT (such as cucumbers, peaches, tomatoes, etc.)	Discard	SOFT fruits and vegetables with high moisture content can be contaminated below the surface.
Bread and baked goods	Discard	Porous foods can be contaminated below the surface.
Peanut butter, legumes and nuts	Discard	Foods processed without preservatives are at high risk for mold.

 Reference: United States Department of Agriculture