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The hairy mold tufts that appear on bread and cheddar are not very appetizing. Their mere presence raises questions: why are molds so fuzzy and is this fuzz dangerous?
The short answer to the first question is that fuzz is a sign that the mold is preparing to reproduce itself.
"The fuzzy molds are billions of microscopic spores waiting to be transported to a new environment," Megan Biango-Daniels, a mycologist and postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University, told Live Science.
Related: Is it safe to cut the mold and eat the rest?
When you see green mold on bread or dusty white mushrooms on a forgotten mandarin, you are witnessing an important moment in the life cycle of mold. That's when the mold is preparing to send genetic copies of itself to the world in the hope that some will find a home where they can settle, earn a living honestly digest something nutritious and spread their own offspring.
Molds reproduce by creating a large number of reproductive cells called spores. Spores are similar to seeds in some respects, but they do not contain the food reserves on which seeds can rely during their germination. Spores usually need more favorable conditions before moving on to the next stage of their life.
"When we look at mold, we look at the spores themselves," which are often green or black, said Biango-Daniels.
"The molds have to be fuzzy because they have to be picked up and carried away by the breeze," she said, "like microscopic dandelions".
Which brings us to the second question: Are these fluffy filaments dangerous? No, almost never. In fact, scientists are beginning to understand the ecological importance of molds and other fungi, such as fungi and yeasts.
"It was valued Susana Gonçalves, a fungal ecologist and conservation specialist at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, said there were about 2.2 to 3.3 million species of fungi. The public tends to associate mushrooms with famine fungal superbugs resistant to major antimicrobial drugs) and sudden death (while eating toxic mushroomsbut only a few species are problematic and this only happens in specific contexts, she said.
For example, certain molds that develop on foods produce toxic metabolites, called mycotoxins, that can cause illness in sick people, especially those with weakened immune systems. according to the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, certain molds and yeasts can cause allergic reactions or infections, as was the case for a man in Japan allergic to moldy onion peels.
According to Gonçalves, most of the problems caused by fungi occur when humans carry them For example, the spread of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis from its original area somewhere in East Asia is contributing global decline in amphibian biodiversity.
In many cases, mold can really help people because these decomposers are ubiquitous in nature and essential for food preparation. Beer, wine, cheese and leavened bread are obvious examples of foods that humans prepare in association with mushrooms, but they are not the only mushroom among us. Fungi also perform important chemical transformations that convert the seeds and fruit pulp into coffee beans and cocoa beans.
But what should you do with this musty cheddar that you found on the back of your fridge? Can you scratch the green and still enjoy the cheese?
"Mold is not perhaps your biggest problem, it's just what you can see," said Biango-Daniels. Bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illness are too small to be seen. If food is forming in your refrigerator, that's a sign that it's been too long.
If you open the bread box or the crisper and mold on your favorite snack should be free of mold, Biango-Daniels suggests you go, "not because it's dangerous, but is not delicious"
Originally published on Science live.
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