http://www.foodsafety.org/nc/nc184.htm

An old belief was that eating moldy food was not harmful. Current research has shown that some molds produce mycotoxins -- which if ingested, are capable of causing diseases in humans and animals. The effects include skin irritation, diuretic effects, liver damage, widespread body hemorrhages, neurotoxic actions, hormonal stimulation and mutagenic and carcinogenic actions. Many mycotoxins are heat stable and their toxins are not destroyed by normal cooking temperatures. While the mold grows on the surface of the food, the toxins produced can seep down into the food so scraping off the mold is not sufficient.

Moldy bread. Throw bread and wrapper out without opening.

Hard cheese, such as cheddar and colby. If the whole piece is moldy, throw it away. If the mold is confined to a small area, cut off a one-half inch thick slice and throw away the slice and the wrapping. Wipe the remaining cheese with a cloth dipped in vinegar and store in a new container/wrapping.

Dry beans and peas. These may become moldy if harvested before they were dry or stored in a damp place. Do not consume if moldy.

Jams and jellies. Throw it out. Always water bath prepared home processed jellied products to prevent mold formation.

Maple syrup. Throw it out.

Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds become moldy if not properly cured/dried before storage or if stored in a damp place. Discard all moldy nuts and seeds.

Sauerkraut. If mold or yeast grow on the top during the fermentation period, scrape it off and about one inch of kraut below the growth. Add more salt to the top of the crock and continue to ferment. Be sure all the cabbage is covered in liquid. If no more growth occurs, continue the fermentation. If growth continues, discard the kraut.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 07, 1999

Answers

Old Git,

Glad to see you posting this sort of information. I ran into some extensive material about molds on the Walton Feed site under their general information section: www.waltonfeed.com This matter is very important and can cause serious problems that I hadn't known about.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), May 07, 1999.

Old Git is on the ball again. All fungi [mold] produce toxic metabolites [we eat the least toxic ones and call them mushrooms]. The most toxic ones produce the most, naturally occuring, lethal compounds known. Working with some of them, my people had to use isolated chambers [it's called a P-3 facility]. All you need to do is read a few autopsy reports. You will see that there are worse things than waste of food or starvation. Respect the little devils.

Z1X

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 07, 1999.

The same goes for rancid food. I stored some roasted, but unsalted sunflower seeds and when I recently opened a package you could smell them. They smelled like old oil. Every package was the same, and I threw all of them out. They were stored in the freezer, so they must have been old when I put them in.

Borwn rice also goes rancid in a few months and should not be eaten. The girl at the health food store told me she'd eaten some rice that didn't taste very fresh and it made her sick.

-- gale (guide@earthling.net), May 07, 1999.

Whole wheat flour also goes rancid...that's why folks buy wheat and grind it fresh.

In the early days of this country, the people in the colonies grew rye for their flour, the mold on rye, ergot, produced a poison that made some folks behave strangely...felt like they were flying, etc. This is what brought about the great witch hunts of Salem. A good witch hunt is all we need to make the y2k experience truely memorable!,

-- Mary (CAgdma@homenoaddress.comMary), May 08, 1999.