As of: March 19, 2024, 5:32 a.m
By: Fabian Hartmann
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Can you still eat it or should it be thrown away?
This cannot be answered the same for every food.
But which ones can be saved?
Munich - Who doesn't know it: It's time for lunch, and when things are rushed or you don't have a lot of supplies left at home, you reach for something simple.
So a fruit plate.
The ingredients needed are quickly available, but wait a moment: How long exactly has the pomegranate been in the pantry?
And you can already see a dark spot on the last apricot.
The question quickly arises: Can you still eat it or is it better to throw it away?
However, this question is not always easy to answer.
There are many different types of mold, including those that can be eaten without hesitation and those where mold is even desired: just think of Camembert or Gorgonzola.
Strawberry jam with mold growth © IMAGO/AnatoliiFoto
However, many types of mold are harmful to health, but there are also gradations.
We explain which types of mold are more dangerous than others.
And when should you throw away food that has been sitting in the pantry for a worryingly long time?
Many types of mold are harmless - but there are also dangerous ones
More than 100,000 species of mold occur in nature.
They spread through the air as spores and can also get onto food.
Once this has happened, the spores germinate on the product and form cell threads - so-called hyphae - provided they have appropriate environmental conditions.
They permeate the food, invisible to the naked eye, and at a later point in time lead to the typical, visible mold growth on or in food.
Depending on the product, the mold appears in a blackish or yellowish, powdery or furry coating.
Many molds are harmless and only cause the affected food to spoil.
However, there are also species that produce toxins in food, so-called mycotoxins.
“If consumed regularly, mycotoxins can damage the genetic material and cause cancer, for example,” warns the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL).
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Removing mold from food – a persistent myth
But what if the mold only covers a tiny part of the food?
Can you then cut it out and save the product?
The LGL advises consumers against this.
Due to the fact that mold on many foods has already spread over large areas before it becomes visible, it is usually not effective to just remove the visible mold deposits.
The mycelium of the mushroom has then already penetrated the entire food.
Microbiologists therefore agree: moldy food should be thrown away.
This not only applies to foods with a high water content, including many fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, cucumbers or tomatoes, but also to bread and other grain products.
If they become moldy, they should be disposed of immediately.
It is also advisable to examine surrounding fruits for fungal infestation.
Nevertheless, for some foods there is a persistent idea that you just have to remove the mold.
For example with jam.
However, this is a misconception that the
Tagesschau
, among others, points out
.
“
It is true that sugar removes water from most fungi and thus inhibits or prevents their growth.
But there are also species that are not repelled by this.” That is why consumers are advised to throw away all of the jam if it is moldy.
Be careful with moldy nuts and spices - they may contain a fungal toxin
The group of mycotoxins also includes aflatoxin, a comparatively strong fungal toxin that is mainly caused by damp storage.
It can occur, among other things, in spoiled nuts, which is why you should be careful when storing them.
Nuts that have been transported over long distances should therefore be examined for spoiled specimens.
Regardless of whether the kernel or shell is affected, moldy nuts should be discarded completely.
Even if the package has just been opened, if there is mold infestation, you should throw the entire package away as a precaution.
Different colored mold cultures on a flatbread © IMAGO/imageBROKER/Siegra Asmoel
Aflatoxin can also form in various spices with mold infestation.
Nutmeg, chili, paprika and cayenne pepper in particular are predestined for the formation of aflatoxins, as various food inspection offices in Duisburg, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Hesse have repeatedly found, according to the Catalysis Institute.
Despite mold infestation: These foods can be saved
But is there food that can still be saved once it has already started to go moldy?
The short answer to that is “yes”.
Because not every fruit or vegetable that becomes moldy has to end up in the trash immediately.
Firmer vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, cauliflower or broccoli can still be eaten safely as long as areas affected by mold have been carefully removed.
The situation is similar with apples and bananas.
This is also possible with hard cheese, as long as the mold is only superficial.
It can then be removed to save the product from disposal.
However, if the inside of the cheese is also affected, it is better to throw it away.
The same applies to air-dried products such as salami or ham in one piece.
Here too, the mold can be easily cut away.
After all, there are enough types of fine salami that get their distinctive taste from the fine mold.
This so-called noble mold helps the salami ripen by preventing the oxidation of the fat and improving the pH through the formation of ammonia.
(fh)