We’ve all encountered moldy food before, whether it’s a rogue berry covered in gray fuzz or a green-speckled slice of bread. Maybe you didn’t notice the mold growing until you plated your meal — or after you took a bite.
Aside from being grossed out, you may have concerns about the health effects: What happens if you eat mold? How much mold on food does it take to make you sick? And where do foods that are sold with mold, like blue cheese, stand in all of this?
Here’s why mold grows on food, what happens when you eat it, and tips to keep food mold-free.
What is mold?
Molds are microscopic fungi, Josephine Wee, Ph.D., an assistant professor of food science at Penn State University, tells TODAY.com. Other examples of fungi include mushrooms and yeast, the kind used to make bread. In other words, all molds are fungi, but not all fungi are molds.
Molds are a natural part of the environment and found almost everywhere moisture and oxygen are present, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
There are tens of thousands of species of mold, which spread by producing tiny cells called spores. “The spores are everywhere; they are on our skin, in the air that we breathe, on our foods,” says Wee.
Outdoors, molds play an important role in breaking down organic matter like decaying leaves, but inside, mold can spoil foods or grow on damp surfaces and should be avoided, according to the EPA.
“Molds grow in the right conditions. … They like higher humidity and warmer temperatures,” says Wee. This is why mold does not grow as quickly on food that’s refrigerated.
Molds, like other living microorganisms, also require oxygen to grow, Randy Worobo, Ph.D., professor of food microbiology at Cornell University, tells TODAY.com. Cheese and other foods with a higher moisture content often come vacuum-packed as mold can grow soon after products are exposed to air, he explains.
“One of the unique characteristics of molds is that they’re really good at growing on just about anything….
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