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- $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
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-
- 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!
-
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-
- 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.
-