Is it safe to eat moldy bread?
Moldy bread is not safe to eat. There are many reasons why it is unsafe to consume moldy bread.
You might have heard that there are different kinds of mold on bread, but what does that mean exactly? What kind of mold is harmful or dangerous for you?
If you want to avoid all risk, then don’t even think about eating any type of mouldy food!
What kind of mold is harmful or dangerous for me?
There are three main types of mold: white rot, brown rot and black rot. White rot and brown rot are the most common types of mold found on bread. Brown rot is usually harmless to humans, while white rot causes gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Black rots cause severe illness including death.
White Rot (Bacillus cereus)
The spores of white rot are small enough to pass through your digestive system without being detected. They are usually found on stale bread, which means they will grow best when there is no oxygen present. When you eat moldy bread, the spores from these fungi multiply rapidly and produce toxins that cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
These toxins may lead to dehydration and other health issues.
Treatment:
If you have white rot on your bread, throw it out immediately. If you have already eaten some of the bread and start experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, do not eat or drink anything except for water. Rehydration solutions can be used if you are severely dehydrated since these solutions usually contain a specific amount of salts and sugars to replenish what your body has lost.
White Rot Prevention
Baking bread kills off most of the mold spores, although this type of fungus can grow on stale breads. Be sure to throw out any bread that has been left out for more than a few hours.
Brown Rot (Aspergillus)
This type of mold grows best in warm and damp environments. It releases dangerous toxins that may cause allergic reactions in some people. Brown rot causes asthma and it is also known to cause cancer.
Treatment:
The toxins released by brown rot may be harmful to humans, but it will not cause diarrhea or vomiting. If you are allergic to this type of mold, then you should seek medical attention immediately since anaphylactic shock is a possibility.
Prevention:
If you are not allergic to brown rot, there are no particular precautions that you need to take. It is best to store food in a cool and dry environment to prevent its growth.
Black Rot (Monilaria supervulgaris)
Black rot is the most dangerous of all types of mold. It causes vomiting, diarrhea and burns the intestines when consumed. This type of fungus also gives off toxic chemicals that may be harmful if inhaled.
Black rot has caused many deaths in history, mainly because it looks very similar to other harmless types of bread mold.
Treatment:
Call for an ambulance immediately if you suspect that you have consumed black rot. Ingesting large quantities of black rot may lead to death, so it is important to seek immediate medical attention. Drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.
Prevention:
Black rot may look similar to other types of bread mold, so it can be hard to tell them apart. It is best to throw out any bread that has been left out overnight. Procuring your bread from a reliable store or bakery can also prevent any incidents.
Rancid Oil
Rancid oil is the product of spoilage, which means that it has undergone the process of oxidation. When oil oxidizes it develops unsightly characteristics and an unpleasant smell. Rancid oils are not safe to consume since they contain poisonous compounds.
Treatment:
Although some people may find the flavor of rancid oils to be rather “strong,” there are no definite negative effects associated with eating it. If you experience an upset stomach after eating rancid oil, you should drink lots of water and eat fresh vegetables to prevent dehydration. If the problem persists, seek immediate medical attention.
Prevention:
There are a few ways to check if the oil you have obtained has gone bad. First, and most importantly, the oil should be clear and bright, not dark and opaque. Since rancid oils develop an unpleasant smell, you might try “sniffing” the oil.
If it smells foul then do not consume.
Expired Drugs
Most medicines and pharmaceutical drugs are only good for a few years before they expire. This is because the effectiveness of many drugs degrade over time, even if they are not being taken. As with rancid oils, the negative effects of expired drugs are dependent on the specific drug.
Treatment:
Most expired drugs will lose their effectiveness over time. If you have expired drugs in your possession, you can either throw them out or try to sell them to a pharmaceutical company.
Prevention:
Drugs typically have an expiration date printed somewhere on their packaging. Do not purchase or consume any drugs unless you can verify that they have not expired.
Rotting Meat
It is very hard to tell whether or not meat has gone bad.
Sources & references used in this article:
Wasted: How America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill by D Gunders, J Bloom – 2017 – ccrrc.org
Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health by M Nestle – 2013 – books.google.com
Becoming mindful of food and conversation by M Pollan – 2008 – Penguin
The psychological bases of food rejections by humans by M Siegal – Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1995 – journals.sagepub.com
Contamination sensitivity in young children. by AE Fallon, P Rozin – Ecology of food and nutrition, 1983 – Taylor & Francis
The perils of ignoring history: Big Tobacco played dirty and millions died. How similar is Big Food? by M Siegal, DL Share – Developmental Psychology, 1990 – psycnet.apa.org
Deciding what is safe to eat: young children’s understanding of appearance, reality, and edibleness by KD Brownell, KE Warner – The Milbank Quarterly, 2009 – Wiley Online Library
