Never Eat The ‘Clean’ Part Of Moldy Bread

It’s not safe to eat bread or fruit contaminated with mold, even if you cut away the moldy parts. When mold reproduces, it spreads throughout your food, hiding in places you can't see. And while many species of mold are harmless, others can make you very sick. It's just not worth the risk.

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Following is a transcript of the video:

Narrator: We've all been there. The loaf of bread you bought a couple weeks ago is starting to grow mold and you're wondering "Maybe I can just cut the part where I can see the mold and eat the clean part." It turns out, even though you cannot see it, your whole loaf of bread could be teaming with fungus. Following is a transcript of the video.

You're all ready to make the sandwich of your dreams. Turkey, tomato, and swiss on a bed of romaine lettuce sandwiched between two slices of sourdough. Classic.

Oh no, what's this? Mold? But look, good new. The mold's only on part of the bread. So, I can just cut that away and be fine, right?

There's no such thing as a "clean" part of moldy bread. That's because mold is a fungus, like mushrooms. The caps on the surface are easy enough to spot. But there's a vast network of subterranean "roots" called hyphae that you can't see.

So let's take another look at that bread of yours. Ugh, disgusting!

Maybe you can just grab another piece from the same loaf. Well, that's not such a great idea, either. Because by the time mold sprouts its fuzzy head, what you're really seeing is the reproductive part of the mold called sporangiums. Each sporangium releases tens of thousands of spores.

So, even though you can't see it, that entire loaf could be teeming with fungus.

But it seems like such a waste to just throw it out. After all, you eat mold on purpose all the time, like the mold that goes into making cheese, soy sauce, and even life-saving antibiotics, like penicillin. Eating a little bit on your bread can't be that bad, right?

Ultimately, it's a gamble. Just like eating a wild mushroom, many are fine. But some can be deadly.

Mold is the same way. There are thousands of different species of mold — many of which are harmless to humans. But since so many types can sprout up on food it's nearly impossible to know if what you're eating is safe.

Cladosporium, for example, can sometimes trigger allergies but is generally harmless. Whereas other molds, like Penicillium crustosum, produce harmful poisons called mycotoxins. An elderly couple in 2005, for example, was admitted to the hospital after eating a can of soup contaminated with this kind of mold. They had severe muscle tremors but eventually recovered.

But other molds, like Rhizopus stolonifer, can have permanent effects. And you might recognize this mold since it commonly grows on bread: blue-green, with black splotches, and super fuzzy. In rare cases, it can prompt a deadly infection called Zygomycosis, which causes your blood to clot and can, ultimately, starve your cells of oxygen to the point that they die.

And it's not like bacteria where a little heat will eliminate the threat because high temperatures won't break down the mycotoxins. And since you have no clue which one you're about to put in your mouth, ask yourself: Is it really worth the risk?

[sudo]

Just to clarify: Don't eat the moldy part either

[peanutbuttersandwich]

Conclusion: my parents have been trying to kill me for years

[BaronVonQuiply]

I tried explaining this to my dad as a kid.

He's one of the "just scrape the mold off the top of the jelly and it's all good" people.

[connorgrynol]

My high school science teacher once told us about a time where they were getting students to cultivate mold on a slice of bread. They told a student that the mold on their bread was not dangerous and they ate it. My teacher was right, they were fine, but I couldn’t see myself eating bread mold even knowing it was safe (yeast doesn’t count).

[ronl]

I just throw the bread away as soon as I buy it just to be safe.

[suchitgutta]

I throw out the “clean” part and eat the mold

[chazon]

Late to the party, but this is why my family started freezing our bread as soon as we get it home. It helps preserve your bread for longer periods of time (possibly forever but don't quote me on that) and every time we want a slice, just grab one out of the freezer and defrost/toast it in the toaster. We've yet to have a bread go moldy on us ever since.

Of course that doesn't ENTIRELY remove the risk, but it makes it a LOT more manageable.

[xennnyu]

I ate moldy croissant without realizing it so many times before. The first time i ate it half way through when I realized the blue moldy part was right there. I thought it tasted weird… I’ve also tasted many moldy berries. They all have the same taste, like a bitter and unfamiliar taste you’ll realize immediately but won’t question it until you see the mold. It doesn’t taste like moldy milk and the smell also smells the same as it tastes

[senjugold]

*Oh hell naw you gotta throw the whole house away*

[kayeet]

As a college student I’m willing to take my chances.

[SparrettCrow]

Just make sure you handle bread safety like not exposing it to long outside a controlled atmosphere, grabbing a loaf with wet hands and closing the bag or container with moisture trapped inside, or simply grabbing a loaf/slice with unwashed/moistened hands and it'll last longer.

Basically if you treat the loaf like the cure to cancer it'll last much longer.

[SomeDudeWhoLikesBalls]

My parents taught me that when I was young but I never questioned why.

This video was very informational.

[brandontimbol]

Never Eat The ‘Clean’ Part Of Moldy Bread Just Eat The Mold

[Salmontres]

I followed your advice, i had moldy bread, so i burned down my house

[scat]

I have to show this to my cheap ass parents when they wont let me throw away food

[Stranzua]

My old friend told me that one time he went home drunk, sat down at the table in the dark, and proceeded to eat a bunch of hot dog buns. His mom came into the kitchen before he was finished and pointed out that they were completely moldy. After finished the rest.

[korprikall]

Who the hell eats a sandwich with one of the bread sliced in half?

[bjrnbe]

Thanks for the tip, now Im only gonna eat the moldy part

[JohnLuckPickard]

This video had been on my watchlist for years, but I didn’t get around to finally viewing it until today. Thankfully, I’ve been following food safety fairly well according to this guy.

[Jedssski]

"Never eat the clean part of moldy bread"

Me: proceeds to eat the moldy part