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How Does Mold Make Bread Uneatable?

Molds are tiny living organisms that need a plant or an animal host on which to live and grow. Mold can take the form of green spots on bread, a white dust on cheese or a white fuzzy coating on fruit or cooked foods that have sat too long in the refrigerator, making them no longer safe to eat.

  1. How Mold Grows and Spreads

    • According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Safety Inspection Service, "In many molds, the body consists of: root threads that invade the food it lives on, a stalk rising above the food, and spores that form at the ends of the stalks." The spores are spread by the wind the same way flower seeds are blown across a field.

    Some Mold Names

    • There are many different types of molds, but many have names that are familiar to many people. These include monilia, fusarium, and penicillium. Monilia is the fungus responsible for yeast infections in humans; fusarium is a fungus that invades vegetable crops; and penicillium is the fungus from which the antibiotic penicillin is manufactured.

    The Dangers of Mold

    • The U.S.D.A. states that molds are unsafe to eat because they can cause allergic reactions and breathing problems. Molds can develop poisons, called mycotoxins, that can cause illness. Even though you can't see them, these poisons can be deep inside that slice of bread where the mold root threads have penetrated.

    Living Conditions

    • Molds are found everywhere, and they thrive in warm moist environments, such as the inside of bread wrappers on humid days. Molds also grow, though more slowly, in foods under refrigeration.

    Safe Molds

    • The molds used in cheese manufacturing are safe to eat. Examples include the mold found in Blue and Gorgonzola cheeses, and the white dusting on Brie and Camembert cheeses. This rule doesn't apply to other cheeses on which mold develops over time from sitting too long. According to Mayo Clinic Nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, this mold growing on hard or semi-soft cheeses should be cut away, making the rest of the cheese safe to eat.

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