How Old is your Mold?
by Susan Davis on 11/02/09 at 12:55 pm
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Not all mold is bad, but are you willing to chance it?
Have you looked deep into the eyes of your refrigerator lately? We’re talking about one of those intense stares that delves deep into all corners and crevices. A stare that reveals … mold!
Unless you are a clean freak or living on ramen noodles, chances are your refrigerator contains a container or two of some mystery ingredient that is starting to form a beautiful layer of mold. It’s inevitable and difficult to avoid if you’re a true and fanatic foodie. Leftovers of meals eaten both at home and in restaurants are shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten. That’s when the tiny spores go to work, spreading their roots deep and wide, leaving behind their calling cards – small patches of green, blue or fuzzy growth.
Molds love leftovers!
Molds develop and grow on plant or animal matter and seem to take a particular hankering to leftovers in the fridge. It doesn’t discriminate between meat, dairy or produce. Everything is fair game.  It also doesn’t matter whether the food is natural or processed.  Mold treats all food equally, not caring if something came from a five star restaurant or the taco stand down the street. The bottom line is that all food is susceptible to mold, with organic and all-natural foods particularly vulnerable. They lack preservatives, making their shelf life much shorter.
Although mold usually grows more readily in warm and humid conditions, it enjoys the salty and sugary environments found in many refrigerated foods.  So it is not unusual to see mold on jams and jellies or on cured and salted meats, such as ham, salami and bologna.
In some cases, the moldy parts can be safely removed from the item, with the remaining piece of food being edible. But that is only when mold is on the surface of non-porous food.
Some molds are dangerous and could make you sick
Molds are not usually life-threatening, but you should exercise caution, since some molds can trigger allergic reactions or set off respiratory infections. And a few molds may produce mycotoxins, which are poisonous substances that can make you sick.  Mycotoxins are found primarily in grain and nut crops, but are also known to invade celery, grape juice and apples.
What foods can be salvaged if you find some of your perishables have been attacked by mold? According to the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the following food items may be eaten once the mold has been successfully removed.
Hard salami and dry-cured country hams – Scrub mold off the surface.  It is normal for these cured items to have some degree of surface mold.
Hard cheese – Cut off at least one-inch around and below the mold. After trimming the mold, rewrap the cheese in fresh saran wrap or aluminum foil.
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 there is surface mold on hard cheeses, such as Gorgonzola and Stilton, cut off mold at least one inch around and below the mold spot.
Fruits and vegetables – Cut off at least one inch around and below the mold spot.
Most other food products should be discarded if there are any signs of mold. Food with high moisture content and porous food can be contaminated below the surface.
Although you may be tempted to cut the edge off a piece of moldy bread or scoop off the top of some moldy jelly, it can be a very dangerous proposition, since you can’t always see the roots of the mold that may be penetrating deep within the food product.
They say it is better to be safe than sorry … this is the case with mold, too. When in doubt, throw it out — even if the mold is on a pricey piece of prime rib!
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