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Green, blue and white molds add flavor to some cheeses. But molds grown in bread, a jam jar, or a fungus on a damp wall are very toxic. Why is mold dangerous to he alth?
Mold in foodandfungus in the houseemitmycotoxins , which pose a great threat to he alth. Mold spores cannot be seen with the naked eye: they are between 2 and 5 microns. Because they are so tiny and light, they move very easily. When they find favorable conditions for development, they quickly "nest" and expand in all directions.
Molds love acidic, moist and warm environments. They do best at a temperature of 20-30 degrees C. However, there are species that can develop even at 5 degrees C. Such conditions only slow down their growth. Therefore, storing products contaminated with fungal spores in the refrigerator, we will not prevent them from becoming moldy.
Toxic compounds released by mold
Mold is not harmful to us, but its metabolic products, i.e. poisonous mycotoxins. It is important to keep this in mind when deciding whether to throw moldy food into the trash. Let us not be influenced by the size of the mold, because even a tiny speck may be of the species that produces a lot of mycotoxins.
Most poisons are found in poorly stored grains and peanuts. Scientists have also found that in cows fed with moldy feed, mycotoxins build up in the tissues and then end up in, for example, the milk we drink. So we indirectly eat the mold that we fed to the animals.
Any product infested with mold must be discarded in its entirety. It cannot even be used for animals, especially livestock.
How to protect against mold?
The food industry uses various methods of fighting mold - from roasting and refining to treatment with hydrogen peroxide. At home, it is not possible, so it is better to get rid of any suspicious products. Microbiologists advise that where we store our food, it should always be kept clean, dry and cool. Small doses of mold that we accidentally eat from time to time will of course not have serious consequences. Usually it will be limited to indigestion, stomach pain or diarrhea.
But if we will be ofteneat moldy products with poisonous mycotoxins, it can cause diseases that are difficult to treat, the so-called mycotoxicosis. Their more dangerous forms lead to changes in the bile ducts, fatty degeneration of the liver, bloody ecchymosis and necrosis, and even primary liver cancer.
Mold spores dangerous for allergy sufferers
Molds thrive on dead organic matter, which is an excellent medium for them. Walking along the park's lanes, we often see mold spots on fallen, damp leaves. A gust of wind is enough for the microscopic spores to rise into the air. If they invade the body of an allergy sufferer, they can trigger an asthma attack or allergic fungal sinusitis.
It is very difficult to recognize an allergy to mushroom allergens. Skin tests or the determination of specific IgE antibodies are not always reliable. We already know over 250 species of strongly allergenic mushrooms, and moreover, they sensitize various of their products, not only spores. With this amount of allergens, it's hard to find the culprit.
In addition, allergy symptoms appear slowly and are often flu-like. So they can easily be confused with a common viral infection. Since diagnosis of this type of allergy is difficult, most allergists do not recommend desensitization with specific vaccines.
The best advice is to avoid walking in damp places, where it is easy to come across mold spores that are dangerous for allergy sufferers.
- Buy small portions of food.
- Discard all moldy products. Don't pick up the mold from the top as mycotoxins are present throughout the product.
- Dispose of any kitchen waste as soon as possible. The molds will take care of them anyway, but outside the home.
- Always use clean cutlery when preparing your meals.
- Jams, jellies with lower sugar content, eat faster than high sugar (sugar is a preservative that mold does not like).
- When a different type of mold appears on blue cheese than it should be (e.g. a green spot on a white camember), it means that a wild strain, mycotoxic, has entered. Such cheese should be discarded.
- Dry is as harmful as fresh (the mold dries up but the mycotoxin stays). So you can't make breadcrumbs from dried but moldy bread.
- The foil does not protect against mold - it is warm and humid underneath it. Products packed in this way need to be eaten quickly.
- If you want to keep the rest of the tomato paste, better put it in a jar and put some olive oil on top (it cuts off the oxygen and mold does not grow).
- Never put fresh produce in a container where something has previously become moldy. Boil itor steam the container, dry it thoroughly, and then rub it with spirit or plain vodka.
Crashers
Because molds have excellent enzyme systems, they can be fed by substances that are inedible for other organisms, even some plastics. That is why mildew is often the tenants of our homes. Especially those rarely ventilated, with poor ventilation, too tight windows and artificial carpets on the walls and the floor.
If we notice stains on the walls, and then olive, brown or black spots appear in these places, which slowly create more and more stains - it is a sure sign that mold has entered our place. Each of these spots is a colony of some fungus that constantly produces millions of allergenic spores.
Mycelium also often develops in old wooden elements of houses (e.g. window frames), in gazebos and allotment houses, in piles of newspapers or books folded in a damp basement, in the joints of wet bathrooms, and even in an undried cloth for floors.
You can win with them
Fortunately, we are not powerless against mold in the house. What can we do to avoid them?
- Let's take care of an efficient ventilation installation and control its operation.
- Let's air out the whole apartment well every day.
- Every year, preferably in spring, we should clean the wooden walls of the houses on the plot and dry them well afterwards. You need to add detergents to the water.
- If the apartment is often damp, because, for example, we cook a lot, wash - better not to put wallpaper or paneling on the walls.
- If the floor is covered with a lentex carpet, the base of which is made of pressed plant fibers, i.e. an excellent breeding ground for mold - let's tear it off and replace it with e.g. terracotta or impregnated wooden floors.
- Air the bathroom as often as possible and wipe the floor and walls dry. Joints and places where a bathtub or a paddling pool touch the wall are particularly prone to mold growth.
- If an allergy sufferer lives in the house - let's grow cacti and succulents. Other plants, especially deciduous ones, can cause allergies because molds are eager to deal with rotten or fallen leaves. They also like to live in moist soil, so it is not the best idea to breed plants that require frequent watering.
Some mold strains do not produce mycotoxins. They are used, for example, for the production of penicillin or the clarification of juices and beer. They are also perfect for the production of certain cheeses. In Rokpol type cheese, for example, the mold germs spread to form blue-green streaks. On the other hand, on cheese inof the type of brie, mold develops which causes gradual maturation from the surface into the mass. Blue cheeses have no he alth value. They are made only for the taste.
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