Is it safe to eat moldy bread?

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Quite a few people often get confused when they see tiny mold stains forming on the bread they store. Should we eat moldy bread to reduce waste or throw it away for safety? Does eating moldy bread have any serious health effects? All these will be answered in the following article.

1. What is moldy bread?

Mold is a bacterium that belongs to the same family as fungi. If looked at under a microscope, it will show images of small mushrooms with stems with spores on top. They survive by breaking down and absorbing nutrients from growing material, usually food such as rice, bread or dishes left in humid weather.
Spores can grow from internal voids and spread to other parts of the bread. This is what causes mold to have a variety of colors such as white, yellow, green, gray or black. You won't be able to identify mold based on color alone, as they can vary depending on different temperature conditions and the life cycle of the fungus.
Common molds that often grow on bread are: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Mucor and Rhizopus, each of which has many different types.
MORE: How does mold affect health?

2. Why should you not eat moldy bread?

There are some molds that are quite safe to consume, for example those used to make blue cheese. However, if mold grows on bread, it often loses its flavor and worse, is harmful to health. It's hard to tell if mold is safe or not based on observation alone, so it's best not to eat it.
In addition, when you find moldy cakes, you should not smell them because this can inadvertently inhale spores from the fungus. For people with mold allergies, inhaling mold can also lead to breathing problems, including asthma. In some cases, if you eat moldy bread, you can even go into anaphylaxis, which is life-threatening.
People with weak immune systems such as uncontrolled diabetes are more susceptible to infections from inhaling Rhizopus bacteria on bread. Although uncommon, this type of infection has the potential to be life-threatening, so it should be used with caution.

3. Why shouldn't the bread be moldy?

All health professionals recommend discarding an entire loaf of bread if signs of mold appear, even if you only see a few small spots. Don't try to scrape off the mold or eat the "seemingly healthy" portion of the loaf as microscopic fungal spores may have spread throughout the rest.
Some types of mold can produce invisible and harmful toxins, they can spread and if you eat moldy bread, it will cause digestive disorders, increase the risk of cancer.

4. How to preserve bread from mold?

Without preservatives, the shelf life of bread at room temperature is usually 3-4 days. Preservatives and certain methods of preparing and storing bread can help prevent mold growth.
4.1. Mold Inhibitors Mass-produced supermarket breads often contain chemical preservatives (including calcium propionate and sorbic acid) that help prevent mold growth.
However, more and more people prefer to eat clean, preservative-free bread. An alternative is to use lactic acid bacteria, which produce acids that naturally inhibit mold growth. Currently, lactic acid bacteria are most commonly used in sourdough (fermented bread).
Certain spices like vinegar, cinnamon, and cloves can also prevent mold growth. However, these spices can affect to change the aroma and taste of bread, so their practical application is still limited.
MORE: Bread shelf life
4.2 Bread handling and storage tips Mold spores usually cannot survive the baking process, but bread can easily absorb spores from the air after baking - for example during slicing and packaging. These spores will usually grow in the right environmental conditions, for example in a warm, humid kitchen.
To prevent mold from forming on bread, you can:
Store bread in a dry place: Humidity promotes mold growth so if you see moisture inside the bread package, check it out. Use a paper towel or clean towel to dry the cake before sealing. Packing bread: Covering and packing bread carefully helps to limit exposure to spores in the air. However, to prevent the bread from becoming mushy and moldy, it is advisable to wait until it is completely cooled before packing it. Freezing: Although the cold slows down mold growth, it also causes the bread to dry out. Bread stored frozen will prevent mold growth without changing the texture much. You can separate the cake slices with wax paper to easily defrost each time you need to use. Gluten-free bread is more prone to mold because it has a higher moisture content and uses very little (or no) chemical preservatives. For this reason, this cake is often sold frozen.
In addition, another way to preserve bread to help prevent mold growth is vacuum sealing. This method helps to remove oxygen (essential for mold growth) so it helps to preserve the bread longer. However, it should be noted that bread can still become moldy after opening the package.

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Reference source: healthline.com