At this point the confusing part is; If there is mold on bread, we refuse to consume it immediately, and if there is cheese on it, we eat it with admiration. Well, if mold is harmful, aren’t the cheeses we buy in admiration of their mold harmful?

This logical errorthere must be a significant explanation.

Before we get to cheese, let’s start with other foods.

These green, blue and white parts, known as mold, It is caused by spores, a type of reproductive cells. In fact, the fungi in these places or groups, which we often encounter in fruit, jam and outside bread, do not only invade the area where they are located.

These spores, which cause mold, literally settle in the food. It spreads through branches and is very difficult to see with the naked eye. In other words, cutting away the mold we can see does not mean we have completely removed it. If you do something like that, we can say that you are eating a lot of mold.

Is eating these mold spores harmful or harmless?

Currently, U.S. Department of Agriculture Technical Information Specialist Nadine Shaw says the majority of molds are present in hard foods Molds are harmless because they cannot move on hard surfaces, but some are dangerous. there stands that.

These harmful substances may include toxins called mycotoxins, which can cause respiratory problems or various allergic reactions. Nadine Shaw, especially a substance called aflatoxin found in mold, He adds that it can even cause cancer.

In short, the reason why there are no negative effects from eating mold is probably because This is because harmless fungi were found.. But of course there is no guarantee that the next mold will not contain aflatoxin.

Furthermore, the type of mold found in each food is not the same.

For example, liver-hating aflatoxin is a fungus that mainly grows on peanuts and corn. Mycotoxins, which cause poisoning, generally grow in grains and nuts. Except this again different types of fungi that grow on many fruits and vegetables There are also.

Mold; While fruits, vegetables, bread and various other foods are generally a nightmare, what about the fact that there is even an industry that deals with moldy cheese?

In fact, this varies depending on the type of cheese. For example, soft cheeses such as cream, cottage cheese and cottage cheese are very dangerous when it comes to mold, regardless of whether they are sliced, shredded or crushed. Mold develops in this type of cheese, Although it is not visible to the naked eye, it actually spreads throughout the cheese. and sending it to the trash would be the best move.

However, if the cheese is hard, the spores form the mold It cannot spread over the entire cheese as it can with soft cheese. In other words, the moldy part can be cut off and eaten again. Among these cheeses; There are cheddar, parmesan, colbi and various Swedish cheeses, but these should obviously not be eaten with mold.

About 2-3 cm should be cut off around the mold., the remaining part can be consumed with peace of mind. Let’s give a little hint at this point. It is very important that you do not cut the cheese again with the knife you used to cut the mold and that you do not hold this knife near the cheese. Otherwise the fungus will regenerate very quickly.

Just as the type of mold in each food is different, some types of cheese are not the same.

Konya (Divle Cheese)

These mold spores, especially in cheeses sold and consumed as moldy, Far from being harmful to some cheeses, it is their raw material. Cheeses that are both produced with mold and consumed with mold are the following: Stilton, Roquefort, Asiago, Kemembert; Konya (Divle Cheese), Hatay (Cooked Curd Cheese), Ardahan (Mouldy Cheese), Erzurum (Kerti Cheese) and Burdur (Mouldy Curd).

Consumption of these moldy cheeses, examples of which we have given, It poses no risk as long as it is purchased from reliable outlets. As we mentioned above, purchasing or continuing to consume moldy cheese, even though it may not be moldy, can pose serious dangers.

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