3 ms·
This is obviously a well-researched and well written article, but I do disagree with one of the food safety recommendations the author makes. About mold, they s
by tschwimmer 4y ago
This is obviously a well-researched and well written article, but I do disagree with one of the food safety recommendations the author makes. About mold, they say "Mold is another issue. If you see green, blue, black, or orange mold growing on the surface of your ferment, you don’t always have to throw it out. Just scrape it off if the growth isn’t extensive." This may seem like reasonable advice, but in fact the visible mold is merely the fruiting body. The roots (I believe they're called mycelium) of the mold grow down into the substrate (in this case your hot sauce). I can't speak to the health effects of consuming the mycelium vs the fruiting bodies, but it's not sufficient to just scrape off the surface.
- eushebdbsh 4y agomold is bacteria not fungi
- ubercore 4y agoEvery ferment has some level of mold in it, though. As do most air cured meats.
- mewse-hn 4y agoIf you consider yeast a type of mold then sure
- ssnistfajen 4y agoIt depends on the texture and density of the fermenting food/substrate. In some cases such as hard cheeses the mycelium doesn't penetrate very deep which means the mold part can be cut off and the rest is still reasonably safe to eat for anyone who isn't immuno-compromised. Although generally if there's unintended mold on home made fermented foods it means something went wrong in one of the preparation steps e.g. acidity too low, moisture too high, something was exposed to air instead of submersed in brine. Many Chinese language Youtube tutorials on fermented chili sauce also suggest thoroughly wiping the inside of the container with high ABV spirits before adding the mixture.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]