Mold can grow on all types of food, and cheese is no exception.
When mold appears on food, it usually means you should throw it away. However, this may not always be the case with cheese.
This article explains whether moldy cheese is safe to eat and how to tell the good from the bad.
What is mold?
Mold is a type of fungus that produces spores. They are transported by air, insects and water, and can be found throughout the environment, including in your refrigerator, although they grow best in warm, humid conditions ().
Mold is a sign of spoilage in most foods. It tends to be fluffy and has green, white, black, blue or gray undertones.
When mold begins to grow, it is usually visible on the surface of the food - although its roots can go very deep. It changes the appearance and smell of food, creating a sour or unpleasant odor ().
Although mold is generally dangerous to eat, some types are used in cheese production to add flavor and texture. These species are absolutely safe for consumption.
Summary:
Mold is a fungus that is characterized by fluffy, colorful spots. Although it is usually a sign of spoilage, some types are used to make certain cheeses.
What to do if the cheese is moldy or dried out
Cheese is a living organism, so the appearance of mold on it is a natural result of fermentation of bacteria - mold fungi. Failure to comply with storage conditions, namely high temperature and humidity, leads to spoilage of the product. You can avoid this if you purchase cheese in small portions and adhere to the storage rules specific to a particular variety.
If mold appears on hard and semi-hard varieties, it can be carefully cut off and the product can continue to be used as food. However, if soft cheese becomes moldy, it is better not to risk it and throw it away.
Dried cheese can be saved by soaking it in milk for several hours. If this does not help, you should heat the milk a little. However, such a product should not be consumed directly; it is better to use it only for preparing hot dishes and sauces.
Knowing and observing all the subtleties and nuances of storage, you will always have tasty and healthy supplies of cheese on hand.
What cheeses are produced with mold?
The cheese is made by condensing milk using an enzyme known as rennet, then draining the liquid. The curdled milk that remains is salted and aged.
Differences in taste, texture and appearance of cheeses depend on the type of milk, bacteria present, length of aging and processing methods. In fact, certain types of cheese require mold during their production.
The most common molds used in cheese making are Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium glaucum and Penicillium candidum. This mold helps give the cheese its unique flavor and texture by consuming the proteins and sugars in the milk, causing chemical changes (, ,).
For example, mold is what creates the distinct bluish veins in blue cheese. It's also what gives Brie cheese its thick outer shell and soft, creamy interior ().
Blue cheeses include (, ):
- Blue cheeses : Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton and other blue varieties
- Soft ripened cheeses : Brie, Camembert, Humboldt Fog and Saint André
While soft ripened cheeses are made by mixing mold with milk during processing, blue cheeses typically have spores introduced into the curdled milk ().
Summary:
Some types of cheese require mold during production. The mold allows them to ripen and develop their unique flavor. These include blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola, as well as soft, ripened varieties such as brie.
Mastic toppers
Today I’m telling you and showing you how to make beautiful, spectacular, and incredibly time- and labor-saving fondant toppers for a children’s cake! At the same time, we’ll learn how to work with sugar and wafer paper, the topic is interesting, the material has great potential, but we’ve never written anything about it, we need to improve!
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I will demonstrate it using the example of a children's cake with Fixies. I recently had a story with him that is probably familiar to every home pastry chef. Nine in the evening, the doorbell rings - neighbors. Cake for tomorrow. To kid. With the Fixies! “He’s asking very much - he really wants it - it’s a birthday - how would it be without a cake - help me out!” The situation, frankly speaking, is not pleasant, and the most reasonable thing is to refuse, but how? After all, people are not completely strangers. And Fiksikov, meanwhile, wants almost everyone. In general, in such cases, if you can’t refuse, and you don’t know how to draw, the only way out is printing on sugar or wafer paper and mastic toppers. Well, don’t sculpt the whole company, really?
The only condition is the opportunity to make this same sugar or waffle picture somewhere. To print, you need a printer, and not necessarily a special confectionery one (I’m not even sure that such exist), but filled with cartridges with food coloring. The service of printing on edible paper is provided by some confectionery stores, as well as private confectioners at home, those who have purchased a printer and cartridges. So that the paint does not dry out and the printer serves for a long time and properly, you need to print pictures at least once a day, which is why almost everyone who has this printer does not refuse those who want to make sugar pictures. You just need to find a person who lives near you, write to him, agree on a price, send him the file in a jeep and agree on a time when you can pick up the finished picture.
You can print with food dyes on both sugar and wafer paper. Sugar is denser, the image on it is brighter, but it is usually a little more expensive. What to use is up to you.
Here is my sugar picture.
You see, it is packed in a zip bag (in this form, including a large thick envelope, the store where I print gives the pictures to clients is very thoughtful and pleasant). If you are not going to use the picture right away, store it in a ziplock bag: it will not allow air to pass through, and your picture will retain its inherent slight flexibility. From a long stay in the open air, sugar pictures dry out, become brittle and brittle. But this, by the way, does not threaten the waffle, but it is brittle in itself.
Let me show you the sugar picture closer. It is slightly rough, and the print is quite bright. The paper itself is glued to a thick film.
Here you can roughly understand the thickness.
So, let's make a topper for a children's cake!
...along the contour, with a slight indentation, however, as you like.
Take a piece of mastic, which dries quickly. This could be gelatin mastic (but it is not at all tasty, in my opinion, and becomes very hard; I decided that if children decide to chew on the topper, it could simply be dangerous for their teeth)) or purchased mastic like Vizyon or “Top -product”, to which you can add SMS (powder, sold in confectionery stores) to speed up drying. However, if you have time, you can do without SMS, it will just take longer to dry.
I have here white vanilla mastic “Top Product”, probably the most budget-friendly one today, but very good.
I added a pinch of SMS.
Kneaded it. Rolled it into a ball and flattened it slightly.
Rolled it out to a thickness of 5 mm (it can be thinner, depending on how thick your skewers are).
I attached a picture. I drew a stack around the outline.
Cut it out. This must be done very carefully!
I inserted the skewer a few cm deep so that it would hold well. The thickness of the skewer must be completely immersed in the mastic! In other words, when rolling out the mastic, take into account the thickness of the skewer.
Lubricate the mastic with a thin layer of decorgel (can be replaced with honey diluted in water), very lightly and evenly.
We remove the film from the picture.
Carefully glue the image to the mastic.
Our topper is ready!
Let it dry and you can add it to the cake!
Drying time depends on many factors: mastic, topper size, room humidity. This little Nolik made from Top Product mastic with the addition of SMS dried in at most an hour.
And here is the whole bunch. Bright and beautiful! And most importantly - quickly, if there is somewhere to print the picture.
A solution for those who need everything at once for a 1 kg cake)
Here are our fondant toppers on the cake.
Well, the whole cake.
The cake has a minimalist design. The only decorations are toppers made of mastic and screws, also made of mastic. It was an urgent cake, as you understand, so I had to do everything very quickly and a silicone mold from the CakeUp store literally saved me in that situation. I simply sprinkled it with cornstarch, took small pieces of mastic, painted them in the desired colors, filled the recesses with them, ran a knife along the surface of the mold, holding it flat and cutting off the excess mastic, and took out the parts!
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If you have time, you can let them dry a little or freeze them in the freezer, they will come out even better. But even so, in a hurry the result is excellent!
The mold with numbers, by the way, is also from the same store. And the stand))) In short, I have a lot of everything from there) But what can you do if the things are really worthwhile!
We work with waffle paper in the same way. Well, or almost: the image on it is not as bright as on sugar paper, so you can often find a recommendation to cover it with decor gel on top. This way it will indeed become much brighter, but it will acquire a gloss, and not everyone likes it. The waffle also comes in waves more often, but I think it's a matter of practice.
The cake has a minimalist design. The only decorations are toppers made of mastic and screws, also made of mastic. It was an urgent cake, as you understand, so I had to do everything very quickly and a silicone mold from the CakeUp store literally saved me in that situation. I simply sprinkled it with cornstarch, took small pieces of mastic, painted them in the desired colors, filled the recesses with them, ran a knife along the surface of the mold, holding it flat and cutting off the excess mastic, and took out the parts!
Is moldy cheese safe?
Mold on cheese is not always a sign of spoilage.
The molds used to produce certain varieties are different from those that sprout on your old cheese and bread.
Those used to make cheese are safe to eat. They are characterized by blue streaks on the inside of the cheese or a thick white rind on the outside - whereas typical mold is a fluffy growth that varies in color from white to green ().
In addition to appearance, smell can also indicate the presence of mold. However, because some cheeses are naturally smelly, you should try to remember the smell after purchase to establish a baseline. This way you can evaluate its freshness after a while.
Be aware that dangerous spores can also occur on blue cheeses. They are similar to those that grow on other foods.
When should you throw away moldy cheese?
If you notice mold on your cheese, you don't have to throw it away.
Spores rarely spread far beyond the surface of hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Colby, Swiss, and cheddar. This means the rest of the product is probably safe to eat. To save it, cut at least 2.5 cm around and deep (,).
However, this method does not apply to soft, crushed or sliced varieties.
Any sign of mold on these types, including cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta, means it should be thrown away immediately - the spores can easily contaminate the entire product ().
Summary:
Although mold is used to produce blue and soft ripened cheeses, its appearance on other types of cheese is a sign of spoilage. If spores appear, soft cheeses should be thrown away, but hard cheeses can be saved by cutting off the moldy area.
Should you deal with mold yourself?
If you want to make blue cheese at home, be prepared for difficulties. First of all, because of the cheese itself. Store-bought cheese is unlikely to work. It is usually already aged, so the blue mold will not have enough nutrients to support growth. Competition from yeast in the crust will simply prevent blue mold from growing. Therefore, it is necessary to find young cheese with or without a thin rind. Daredevils can try making their own cheese.
We also do not forget about the need to create a large number of cavities inside the cheese for sufficient oxygen penetration inside. Regular puncture also carries the function of “infecting” the cheese with mold.
If you can't find blue mold commercially, you can scrape it off moldy rye bread or other blue cheese. Although you can do it easier - grind a piece of blue cheese in a blender, adding a small amount of water and a pinch of salt to the container.
The dangers of eating moldy cheese
Mold can harbor harmful bacteria, including E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Brucella, which can cause food poisoning (,).
Symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. In severe cases, this can lead to death.
Harmful molds can also produce mycotoxins, the effects of which range from acute food poisoning to immunodeficiency and even cancer. In particular, the carcinogen aflatoxin has been found to increase the risk of developing liver cancer (, , , , ,).
The best way to minimize your risk of exposure to mycotoxins is to avoid eating moldy foods and follow safe food storage practices (, ).
Summary:
Harmful mold can carry bacteria and mycotoxins that can cause food poisoning, immunodeficiency, and even cancer.
A little history and microbiology
A legend is a legend, but the facts tell a different story. There is mention of blue cheese in the works of the historian Pliny (lived in 79 AD), and in the 15th century, the residents of the village of Roquefort were granted a monopoly on the production of the cheese of the same name.
Already by the end of the 19th century, when microbiology was already emerging as a branch of scientific knowledge, the type of mold that leads to such metamorphoses of the product was identified and classified - this is the so-called “noble” mold Penicillium roqueforti.
The spores of this mold are one of the few that can be eaten. They are added not only to Mont Bleu cheese, but also to other types of cheese, including:
- Camembert,
- brie,
- Italian Gorgonzola,
- english stilton,
- German Dor Blue.
And today, the technology for preparing Roquefort has not changed: the cheese is still placed in mountain caves in the vicinity of the village of Roquefort, where, under the influence of a humid climate, it acquires its “signature” blue mold.
Blue cheese goes well with fruits, nuts and herbs. This is a real find for any buffet and feast: the spicy nutty flavor of the cheese will not leave any gourmet indifferent.
In the catalog of sets and cheese canapés on our website you can find sliced cheeses and ready-made snacks with blue cheeses. In particular, for a buffet or banquet you can order a set with Mont Blu cheese.
How to properly store cheese
Using proper storage methods can help prevent cheese from spoiling.
When choosing regular cheese, make sure there are no cracks or mold on it. The texture should be smooth, without any hardened or yellowed spots ().
When purchasing cheeses produced with mold, watch for the appearance of fluffy colored spots. Consider areas with blue veining as a guide to evaluate if any unusual colors or textures appear.
You should store cheese in the refrigerator at 1-3°C. Wrapping the cheese tightly in plastic wrap can also help prevent mold spores ().
Summary:
Mold growth can be prevented by storing cheese properly. Wrap it in plastic wrap and make sure the temperature inside your refrigerator is 1-3°C.
How to grow mold on cheese
Growing blue cheese comes with its own challenges. Today, there are harmless strains of bacteria bred in laboratories, but such mold can also be toxic. It is important to strictly adhere to the recipe and not violate the technology for preparing the product.
Cheeses with white mold
To produce white mold, two types of bacteria are used - Penicillium candidum and Geotrichum candidum. The first type is suitable for making cheeses based on cow's milk.
The PC strain covers the product with a solid fluffy mold. The mass itself, under the influence of bacteria, becomes soft and viscous.
The GEO strain is used for the preparation of goat milk products. This type of mold is also often mixed into the base to prepare the cheese mass for the growth of Penicillium candidum. This is how the Camembert variety is prepared.
Summarize
- Cheese is a unique food because some types are made with mold, a fungus that is generally best avoided.
- However, it is important to know what types there are, as moldy cheese can still be dangerous.
- Blue and soft ripened cheeses are made using special types of mold and are safe to eat. However, if mold appears on soft, crushed or sliced varieties, you will need to discard them immediately.
- Meanwhile, hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Swiss and cheddar can be salvaged by cutting away the moldy area.
- Because mold can cause food poisoning and other adverse health effects, you should always exercise caution and carefully inspect your cheese before consuming it.
Tags: Mold, Cheese
About the author: Anastasia Sheveleva
Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category, therapist, registered dietitian, nutrition consultant. More about the author.
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Dairy
Hard cheeses - leave. The mold from cheddar or parmesan must be cut off along with a centimeter layer of cheese - it’s a pity, of course, but this, in any case, is better than throwing out the entire piece at once. Moreover, after the removal operation, the cheese must be packed in a new layer of cling film (fresh paper, bag, etc.) and the knife and cutting board must be thoroughly washed so as not to spread mold spores onto other products.
Blue cheeses are a controversial issue. Soft cheeses, such as brie and camembert, are best thrown away immediately. Fortunately, it is very easy to distinguish noble mold from poisonous mold on them - both by color and texture.
But harder varieties (gorgonzola, for example) can still be saved. Cut out a speck of mold from the surface of the cheese - and enjoy only the fungus that was planted there by the manufacturer.
