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Mar 19, 2024 · What happens if you accidentally eat moldy food? Experts explain the health effects of eating mold, when to toss moldy food out, and why blue cheese is safe.
Mar 13, 2024 · Fuzzy strawberries or green-spotted bread can indicate that mold has made its way into your kitchen. But what happens if you accidentally eat mold? Here's what you need to know, according to a...
- Olivia Munson
- SEO, Trending Reporter
- What Is Mold?
- Which Foods Can Be Contaminated With Mold?
- What to Do If You Find Mold in Your Food
- Mold Is Used to Make Certain Foods
- Mold Can Produce Mycotoxins
- Mycotoxins May Be Present in Several Foods
- Mold May Cause Allergic Reactions
- How Can You Prevent Food From Growing Mold?
- The Bottom Line
Mold is a type of fungus that forms multicellular, thread-like structures.
It’s usually visible to the human eye when it grows on food, and it changes a food’s appearance. The food may become soft and change color, while the mold itself can be fluffy, fuzzy or have a dusty texture.
It produces spores that give it its color, which is typically green, white, black or grey. Moldy food also tastes quite distinctive, a bit like wet dirt. Likewise, moldy food may smell “off.”
Even if mold is only visible on the surface, its roots may lie deep in the food. Mold needs moist, warm organic matter to grow, so food is often the perfect environment.
Thousands of different types of mold exist and are found almost everywhere in the environment. You could say that mold is nature’s way of recycling.
In addition to being present in food, it can also be found indoors in moist conditions (1).
Mold can grow on almost all foods.
That said, some types of food are more prone to mold growth than others.
Fresh food with a high water content is particularly vulnerable. On the other hand, preservatives decrease the likelihood of mold growth, as well as the growth of microorganisms (2).
Mold does not only grow in your food at home. It can grow during the food production process too, including throughout growing, harvesting, storage or processing (2).
In general, if you find mold in soft food, you should discard it.
Soft food has a high moisture content, so mold can easily grow below its surface, which can be hard to detect. Bacteria can also grow along with it.
It is easier to get rid of mold on hard foods, such as hard cheese. Simply cut the moldy portion off. Generally, hard or dense food is not easily penetrated by mold.
However, if the food is completely covered with mold you should throw it away. Also, if you find mold, do not sniff it, as this may cause respiratory troubles.
Mold is not always undesirable in food.
Penicillium is a genus of molds used in the production of many types of cheese, including blue cheese, Gorgonzola, brie and Camembert (2, 7).
The strains used to make these cheeses are safe to eat because they cannot produce harmful mycotoxins. The conditions where they live inside the cheese are not right for the production of mycotoxins (8, 9).
Other safe molds are koji molds, including Aspergillus oryzae, which are used to ferment soybeans to make soy sauce. They are also used to make vinegar, as well as fermented beverages, including the Japanese drink sake (10).
It’s important to note that even though some molds are added to particular foods during production to achieve certain effects, the same molds can still spoil other products.
For example, Penicillium roqueforti is used to make blue cheese, but it will cause spoilage if it grows in fresh or grated cheese (2).
Mold can produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. These can cause disease and even death, depending on the amount consumed, the length of exposure and the age and health of the individual (11).
Acute toxicity includes gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, as well as acute liver disease. Long-term low levels of mycotoxins can suppress the immune system and may even cause cancer (12, 13).
Besides being exposed through the ingestion of contaminated food, people can also get exposed through inhalation or skin contact with mycotoxins in the environment (11).
Even though mold growth is usually quite obvious, mycotoxins themselves are invisible to the human eye (14).
One of the most common, most toxic and most studied mycotoxins is aflatoxin. It is a known carcinogen and can cause death if ingested in high amounts. Aflatoxin contamination is more common in warm regions and often linked to drought conditions (15).
Aflatoxin, as well as many other mycotoxins, is very heat-stable, so it can survive food processing. Therefore, it may be present in processed food, such as peanut butter (13).
Mycotoxins may be found in food due to contaminated crops.
In fact, mycotoxin contamination is a common problem in the agricultural industry, as mycotoxins are produced by mold in nature. Up to 25% of the world’s grain crops may be contaminated with mycotoxins (12).
Different types of crops can become contaminated, including corn, oats, rice, nuts, spices, fruits and vegetables.
Several factors influence the formation of mycotoxins. For instance, droughts weaken plants, making them more susceptible to damage and infestation (11, 13).
Animal products, such as meat, milk and eggs, can also contain mycotoxins if the animals ate contaminated feed. Food may also become contaminated with mycotoxins during storage if the storage environment is relatively warm and moist (12, 13).
In a report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 26% of 40,000 samples of various food items contained mycotoxins. However, the number of samples that exceeded the safe upper limit was very low for most items (16).
Some people have a respiratory allergy to molds, and consuming moldy food might cause these people to have an allergic reaction.
Not much research exists on this topic, but there have been several case studies.
In a small number of cases, people who are allergic to mold have reported allergic symptoms after they ate Quorn. Quorn is a food product made from mycoproteins, or fungal proteins, that are derived from the mold Fusarium venenatum (19, 20, 21, 22).
Despite these incidents, there is no need for healthy individuals to avoid Quorn.
In another case study, a patient who was very sensitive to molds experienced a serious allergic reaction after ingesting a bee pollen supplement that was contaminated with the molds Alternaria and Cladosporium (23).
In another case, a teenager allergic to mold died after consuming pancake mix that was heavily contaminated with mold (24).
There are several ways to prevent food from going bad due to mold growth.
Keeping your food storage areas clean is essential, as spores from moldy food can build up in the refrigerator or other common storage spaces. Proper handling is also important.
Here are some tips to prevent mold growth in food (1):
•Clean your fridge regularly: Wipe out the inside every few months.
•Keep cleaning supplies clean: This includes dishcloths, sponges and other cleaning utensils.
•Don’t let your produce rot: Fresh food has a limited shelf life. Buy a small amount at a time and use it within a few days.
Mold is found everywhere in nature. When it starts to grow on food, it causes it to decay.
Mold might produce harmful mycotoxins in all types of foods, but mycotoxin levels are tightly regulated. Exposure to small amounts likely won’t cause any harm in healthy individuals.
Also, mycotoxins only form when mold has reached maturity. By that time, you’ve probably thrown the food away.
That said, you should avoid moldy foods as much as possible, especially if you have a respiratory allergy to mold.
Aug 9, 2021 · Is it safe to eat moldy food? A dietitian explains what happens if you eat mold accidentally, and what you should (and shouldn’t) do if your food goes bad.
Feb 25, 2024 · Mold is a type of fungus that causes food spoilage. It has a nasty taste and texture. Sometimes, mold may have white or green fuzzy spots, especially when it's growing on bread.
When you see mold on food, is it safe to cut off the moldy part and use the rest? To find the answer to that question, delve beneath the surface of food to where molds take root. What Are Molds? Are Some Molds Dangerous? Molds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter.
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Aug 22, 2013 · Some molds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. And a few molds, in the right conditions, produce "mycotoxins," poisonous substances that can make people sick. When you see mold on food, is it safe to cut off the moldy part and use the rest?
