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Here's why mold grows on food, what happens when you eat it, and tips to keep food mold-free. What is mold? Molds are microscopic fungi, Josephine Wee, Ph.D., an assistant professor of food ...
Molds with mycotoxins, or toxic substances, are the most harmful. "They can cause severe illness if ingested in large doses or over time," Gavin says. Gavin says these include:
Molds are a group of microscopic fungi, and there may be hundreds of thousands of different types, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They typically grow on plant or animal matter ...
The molds can colonize and contaminate food before harvest or during storage, especially following prolonged exposure to a high-humidity environment, or to stressful conditions such as drought. Aflatoxin contamination is increasing in crops such as maize as a result of climate change creating better conditions for these molds.
Molds can also grow on stored food for animals and humans, making the food unpalatable or toxic and are thus a major source of food losses and illness. [11] Many strategies for food preservation (salting, pickling, jams, bottling, freezing, drying) are to prevent or slow mold growth as well as the growth of other microbes.
A number of these produce mycotoxins (soluble, non-volatile toxins produced by a range of microfungi that demonstrate specific and potent toxic properties on human and animal cells [57]) that can render foods unfit for consumption. When ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through skin, mycotoxins may cause or contribute to a range of effects from ...
T-2 mycotoxin is a trichothecene mycotoxin.It is a naturally occurring mold byproduct of Fusarium spp. fungus which is toxic to humans and other animals. The clinical condition it causes is alimentary toxic aleukia and a host of symptoms related to organs as diverse as the skin, airway, and stomach.
This is why the mold that pops up on your breakfast muffin may look different than the furry layer that grows on your lunch meats, explains Elena Ivanina, DO, gastroenterologist, Lenox Hill ...