$Unique_ID{BRK02025} $Pretitle{} $Title{What to do with Moldy Cheese} $Subject{moldy cheese mold penicillin hyphae toxin foods spoilage foood pisoning} $Volume{} $Log{} Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc. What to do with Moldy Cheese ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION: My mother refused to throw away a piece of cheese that had mold all over one end. She claims mold is contained in lots of cheese, and even makes penicillin, and that's good. I couldn't convince her she was wrong. Can you? That is if she is! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSWER: Mother is right, 2 times out of 3. Yes, there are some cheeses that contain molds, and are not dangerous. Blue cheese, Brie and Camembert all contain special molds that provide their unique flavor, and are not dangerous to eat. And yes, penicillin was originally discovered as an antibiotic produced by the mold of the same name. But no, Mother, the mold you find growing on a cheese in your refrigerator, is a mold of another kind. Such growths are not always benign, but can produce toxins that can give you a belly ache you will not soon forget. When cheeses, or any other foods show the signs of mold, fuzzy growths whose colors range from blue to grey to green, throw them away. If they affect a small corner of the cheese, and you are too thrifty to throw out food, cut away the bad part, but leave a wide margin of normal looking food around the growth. Molds send out "hyphae", root like structures that penetrate more deeply into the food than you might suspect. Then consume the rest promptly, for leaving it around will only produce more molds that can affect this cheese and other foods as well. ---------------- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.