Such food can cause serious and even fatal illness
Eating moldy food is considered – and not without reason – a very dangerous matter. However, a British food safety expert claims that there is food that can be eaten even if it is moldy. Thus, eating nuts, cereals and apples with mold can lead to liver damage, experts warn. But if you cut off the moldy part of a hard cheese, it is theoretically safe to eat.
It can be frustrating to discover that your loaf of fresh bread is (or so you thought) covered in patches of green mold, writes the Daily Mail. But did you know that you can safely scrape moldy stains off some foods? Just don't try this with bread…
That's according to food safety expert Dr Richard Fuchs from the University of Greenwich, who told MailOnline which foods can still be eaten even if they're moldy, and which ones you shouldn't. immediately throw in the trash.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that food that is visibly rotting or contains mold should not be eaten. This advice is especially important for people in vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, people over 65 and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Eating mold — technically it's just a microscopic fungus — can make us sick. Nuts, grains and apples can be some of the most dangerous foods to eat if you find mold stains on them, according to Dr. Fuchs.
Expert says: "Consumers may have or develop mold allergies respiratory disease upon contact with them. Second, molds can produce toxic compounds called mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins, described as “extremely dangerous,” can suppress the immune system and cause reproductive problems. Some of them are even linked to cancer, the Daily Mail emphasizes.
"They will rarely have acute effects, but may occur over a long period of exposure,", – says Dr. Fuchs.
However, aflatoxin, the most dangerous type of mycotoxin, is known to cause these serious complications. It is produced by two types of mold — Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus — and can be found in moldy nuts, rice, spices, vegetable oils and cocoa beans. In large doses, aflatoxins can be life-threatening.
Patulin – another mycotoxin that can ripen on rotting apples. According to the World Health Organization, if consumed, it can cause “nausea, gastrointestinal distress and vomiting.”
While not all mold is that dangerous, it can still make you feel sick if eaten. To further complicate matters, the mold you may see on the surface of food – That's not the whole problem, warns Dr. Fuchs. At this point, mold spores have already penetrated deep into the product.
"Molds form microscopic thread-like structures called hyphae, which can spread deep into the product, – says the expert. – Therefore, what is visible on the surface may not reflect the full extent of mold contamination.»
The softer the food, the easier it is for mold to grow on its surface. For example, foods with a high water content, such as juicy berries, jam or even soft cheese, allow mold to spread deeper. Another «culprit» – bread, the porous structure of which allows mushrooms to grow into it. This means that if you find a small spot of mold, it has most likely spread throughout the entire jam jar or fruit basket, even if it is only visible on the surface.
One of the few products you can there even moldy ones, – it is a hard cheese, says a British expert in a commentary for the Daily Mail.
"Hard, dense foods, such as hard cheeses or firm fruits and vegetables, are more resistant to mold penetration, so the mold can be cut out and the rest consumed for food", – he added.
To be on the safe side, Dr. Fuchs recommends people cut about an inch around and below the area where the mold is. However, if the mold is specifically used to prepare a product, such as blue cheese, it can be eaten without these manipulations.
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