Have you ever removed a moldy piece of fruit or vegetable and eaten the rest? You should be aware that this practice comes with health risks, as very watery foods can developed mold from the inside. What we see with mold is only part of the food, most likely the rest of the product is completely infected.
Surely you have ever seen your shower tray or bathtub fill up without warning. disgusting black mass which is very repulsive. You may also have noticed how certain dark spots magically appear from some corner of your wall, unpleasant little dots that do not bode well.
This is very common as mold always finds nooks and crannies through which it emerges and wreaks havoc. Mold in the sauce when it comes to humid and hot environment. Hence, its development is a real problem in foods. Because yes, mold loves food. Food turns out to be the perfect medium, full of water and nutrients, so microbes don’t want to separate from them.
What is mold and how does it grow?
Molds are microscopic organisms belonging to the kingdom mushroomscommonly known as mushrooms. But even if they are microscopic, it is true that you see them in food. Do you see these spots? this hair that comes out of a tomato without warning and it gives you the longing that you will die. However, what you visualize is only the external manifestation of the fungus. The type of threadlike tissue we see in food is called mycelium, and it’s made up of mold hyphae: these branching threads.
If we look at moldy food under a microscope, we will find numerous sporangia, which are small balls containing mold spores through which it spreads. Bottom line: the mold itself is microscopic, it is not visible. What you see is only a part of it, which has overgrown and is manifesting outside.
In fact, mold is pretty versatile, as long as there is moisture, it doesn’t matter if the environment is cold enough or there is no sunlight. When there is moisture the fungus is growing wonderful. Although many types of mold cause visible changes in food, the truth is that sometimes they behave like real ninjas: they do not show any signs of their presence. Thus, they are engaged in the synthesis of certain toxic compounds with rather dangerous health potential: mycotoxins.
How to avoid mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain types of mold that can enter our pantry through certain contaminated foods. And, unfortunately, we do not have the opportunity to notice that they are. because mycotoxins don’t change the taste food, nor do they show signs of their presence. Its presence is completely invisible to our senses. If food is contaminated with mold, we usually understand this and refuse it. But when there are mycotoxins, we don’t have the sensory tools to understand the problem.
Therefore, the most notable danger of mycotoxins lies in their difficult identification, since we cannot always detect them with our senses. In terms of health, the main problem with mycotoxins is not accidental use, but cumulative toxin intake which can increase the risk of certain liver and kidney diseases, as well as certain types of cancer.
The food industry takes the presence of mycotoxins in food very seriously and therefore goes to great lengths to determine exactly which environments are most favorable for mycotoxin and mold growth. As a rule, the critical stages are the storage of raw materials in large warehouses and warehouses. Since we are talking about long-term storage products, the risk of mycotoxin formation is greater. It obliges the legislation to establish very stringent mycotoxin levels in foods such as spices and nuts.
Foods with an increased risk of mycotoxins
Some foods pose a higher risk of mycotoxins than others, such as nuts, grains, legumes and spices. As a rule, products with low water activity and dry, where it is more difficult for pathogenic microorganisms to multiply. Instead, there are molds in your sauce that produce mycotoxins. As we said earlier, the foods most susceptible to mycotoxins are those stored for many months under environmental conditions with humidity and temperature This may encourage mold growth.
On the other hand, although they are not the leading foods in terms of mycotoxin content, it is true that certain types of fruits can also become victims of mycotoxin formation. Fruits are foodstuffs prone to the habitual development of certain molds, both due to their own moisture content and pests. For all these reasons, it is essential to establish strict vigilance at the stages of storage and transportation food.
If we want to increase caution in our home, there are certain simple guidelines that we can follow without much frills or head warming. Among other recommendations, one of the most important is that does not smell like moldy food, the more there are them. When mold develops on food, the best option is to throw it away, no matter how painful it may be. The visible part, this “hair”, is just the tip of the iceberg. Keep this in mind when you find a rotten orange in a fruit bowl.
Source: Hiper Textual
