What happens if you eat moldy bread? That’s a common question many have been asking. It hurts to think you have bread at home, only to find mold growing on the bread when you need it the most. You will have a strong urge to consume the bread but have no clue of what the consequences might be, health-wise.
So, what could happen if you consume bread with mold? Well, here’s what you should know.
You may likely not lose your life when you consume moldy bread. In short, depending on the type of mold, you may even not encounter any problem. But is such a risk worth taking? The answer is no! Food experts have warned that eating moldy bread could be bad for one’s health. Mold can cause a respiratory problem, including an allergic reaction. Also, the mold you find growing on a piece of bread may just be covering something worst. Bacterial could be building up inside the bread. So, avoid moldy bread at all costs.
So, that’s what you need to know about consuming moldy bread. However, you can read further for more information.
An Intro About Mold
The word “mold” is still striking, even though molds may not be as dangerous as viruses. But here’s the thing. We all are exposed to these things called molds. Yes, we are. For the records, molds can live anywhere. They can live inside our homes or outdoor.
Mold is also regarded as a fungus. It grows in a unique form, a multicellular filament, which is called hyphae. But let’s not confuse it with yeast. Yeast is still a fungus but adopts a unique habit characterized by single-celled growth.
Again, molds are not invisible organisms. You can easily spot them and choose to avoid or decide to eat the food they are growing on. Though quite small, molds appear in diverse colors. They could appear as orange, black, white, purple, and even green
Where can mold thrive? Have you bothered asking how mold got to the piece of bread you kept at home? Or do you know the reason mold keeps growing in your home? Well, the thing is mold do well in a moist environment.
Just check out the part of your home that always remains wet and see the result. You can check your bathroom. Since it’s always moist, there is a high tendency for mold to grow in the bathroom area, particularly on cracks on the wall.
However, the good news is, molds cannot cause significant harm when present in a smaller amount. But don’t take chances. If you have moldy bread or have fungi growing in your home, try everything possible to fix the situation.
Factors That Contributes To Mold Growth On Bread
Understanding the factors that encourage the growth of mold on a piece of bread can help you to prevent it. So, let’s take out time to talk about factors that can contribute to the development of molds on a food item like bread.
First, bear in mind that the mold you see on bread is considered a living organism. And what do living organisms need to survive? One of them is oxygen.
So, mold needs oxygen to grow on bread. But it’s not just oxygen that matters. Molds also need moisture to start growing on bread. Thus, the factors that can contribute to mold growth on a piece of bread are the availability of oxygen and moisture. This fungus can grow on a piece of bread via the oxygen and moisture trapped in the bread bag.
Now I would like to address something. It’s the thought that mold can grow on bread from sunlight. The thing is mold is a fungus, and not in any way, a plant. So, it is not affected by sunlight.
Let me put this straight, can light inhibit the growth of mold on bread? The answer is no! Light cannot hinder; neither can it encourage the growth of mold on a piece of bread. However, the warm temperature that comes with sunlight can boost the growth of mold, anyway.
Well, other factors have a hand in helping mold on a piece of bread to thrive. A visible factor is the rich organic content breads have. Examples of these materials are carbohydrates and sugar, two materials that can encourage mold spores’ growth.
NOTE: Different mold types can grow on bread. And what determines the species of the mold you find growing on a piece of bread is the spores present in your environment.
Let’s continue on factors that can influence the growth of mold on a piece of bread.
Unusually, one critical factor that can determine the growth rate of mold is temperature. Temperature is also one of the essential elements. When it’s over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, most of the molds can thrive.
How Long It Takes For Mold To Grow On Bread
Here is another reasonable question that everyone should be asking. How long does it take for molds to become visible on a piece of bread?
Well, when the spores land on the bread, it might take approximately 7 to 10 days for it to appear on the bread. However, based on the nature of the bread, molds can start to emerge from day 5. Put simply, if the bread is fresh, mold will develop faster compared to the store-bought one that contains some preservatives.
How Dangerous Can Molds Be?
The health effect that may occur after one eats mold-infested bread differs from person to person. But it’s unwise to try to consume moldy bread to find out if it will affect you health-wise or not.
You see, exposing yourself to mold can have diverse health effects. The effects may also differ from person to person. For the records, some individuals have a higher sensitivity to molds than other people do.
So, mold can have a range of health effects on a person. It may also not cause severe harm in some individuals. However, the health issues exposing oneself or consuming mold can cause include coughing, skin irritation, eye irritation, nasal stuffiness, and wheezing.
What Should You Do With Moldy Bread?
When you pick up a piece of bread that has mold, you will find discoloration on a specific part of the bread. The urge to cut off that part of the bread and eat the rest would certainly hit you. But don’t fall for it.
Molds develop a network of roots when they grow on a piece of bread. So, they may have penetrated deeper and extended to other areas that the small discoloration you see on the surface of the bread.
So, it is dangerous to consume such bread or cut off discoloration on the bread and think everything is fine. It is better to throw the bread away. Get fresh bread.
What about toasting the bread? Can toasting make mold-infested bread edible again? The simple answer is no. Whether you toast, scrap, fry, or microwave the mold to death, that won’t prevent you from consuming fungus.
The thing is the discoloration might disappear, but there might still be some invisible bacteria growing over it. And even though molds can’t harm you, remember most molds contain mycotoxins that aren’t good for you health-wise.
How To Prevent Mold From Growing On Bread
Products from organic bakeries and homemade bread are quite delicious. That’s the truth. But store-bought bread has a higher tendency to stay mold-free much longer.
However, there are ways you can keep your bread, whether store-bought or homemade, fresh, and mold-free.
Let’s go through the various steps right away. And keep in mind that some of the steps you will be reading here are things you can do at home.
Step#1 – store your bread in a dark and cool place
If you want a piece of bread to be mold-free, consider keeping it in the dark and cool area. The thing is, bread can’t do well where there are humidity, heat, and light, but molds or fungi flourish under these conditions.
So, the advice here is to store your bread in the fridge. That’s because the temperature in your refrigerator will be too low for the mold to thrive.
Step#2 – Seal the bread tightly
Mold can quickly develop where there are moisture and oxygen. So, when you get your bread, try to get rid of the air stored inside the bag. After that, make sure you seal it tightly. This way, your bread will stay fresh much longer.
Conclusion
What happens if you eat moldy bread is the question. And excitingly, we have provided the much-needed answer for you to give you a sound knowledge of what could happen. Just a recap, you may likely not die after eating mold-infested bread. But things might not remain the same health-wise. So, it is better to get rid of moldy bread than to consume one.
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