How dangerous is bread mold?

Should be fine, from past experience.

They will probably find themselves feeling particularly normal, as if nothing special had occurred at all.

Better fuzz on the bread than on the sandwich meat…

Bread mold is totally edible and nontoxic, it’s a delicacy in Madagascar where they culture bread mold spores. They use the bread mold as a seasoning on several seabird recipes. They also have an unusual flavorful mixed drink they call the Scalmari – vodka and octopus.

There is a theory that a certain type of mold in grain caused odd behaviours in some of the people in Salem, thus launching the infamous witch trials…so if you start cackling, or something, watch out!

That is true, their grain become contaminated with ergot and so they became hallucinatory and were arrested with a court date to be tried for the crime of witchcraft. So there really were no witches but there were plenty of alien abductions such as what happened at Roanoke.

Not to be a wet blanket, but bread mold, in rare cases, can cause serious disease. Bread mold is known as Rhizopus stolonifer. Multiple rhizopus species, including R. stolonifer, can cause a life threatening illness known as zygomycosis. This disease is an invasive fungal disease that occurs in immunocompromised individuals such as those who have received a bone marrow transplant. Because the molds that cause this illness are found ubiquitously in the environment, it can be hard to ascribe to bread mold per se, but it certainly can be a cause of this illness.

Now for the good news. If you have a normal immune system, you should be just fine. Eat away!

isn’t that where penicillin comes from?

No. Not all molds are the same. Penicillin comes from Penicillium, a completely different Order of mold.

what does it grow on?

Penicillium species can contaminate foods and cheeses, yes, but penicillium is completely different from Rhizopus.

so if it’s growing on your food, it could possibly be penicillium chrysogenum?

learn something new every day…

Shilolo, I’m so glad you’re here and freely contributing your expertise to us. I think I speak for many of us when I say

THANK YOU!

@shi; ubiquitiously – I sigh with pleasure.

Whew… Not only did I spell it correctly (I think), but I remembered to put the adverb behind the conjugated verb, and not in between (i.e. are ubiquitously found…).

—longer sigh—-

And you know the way to a woman’s heart!

Maybe English teachers or librarians… ;-)

Or French teachers, astronomers,Directors of College Placement or quilters.

(Or perhaps 28-yr-old Hooters’ waitres?)

Gail, did you just spell waitresses incorrectly? (gasp)

I did. I have house guests and am rushing. But I am thrilled, thrilled that so many of you are turning into good editors. Hat’s off, Trusting.

Absolutly safe I have eaten it many times then noticed it and said oh well