How does bread get moldy?

June 30, 2016 4:56am CST
Something must grow on stale bread whether it's in hot or cold temperature when bread is forgotten from far back in the fridge for too long. Fungus makes its own digestive enzymes and acids which diffuse out of the fungus into the material, aka, bread, in which it is growing. Many fungi are fast growers. One moderately speedy fungus grows a branch (mycelium) at a rate of about eight-thousandths of an inch/hour. So, in 24 hours,, a fungus colony of that kind can produce a total branch length of one-half mile. In 48 hours. the total length is hundreds of miles long! In a few days, you see why a loaf of bread is fully colonized by this fast growing fungus.
Is it safe to eat that moldy bread? Let me set this up for you … it’s Labor day weekend and you’ve fired up the grill with some burgers, brats, or whatever grilled goodness you can think of. You head inside and grab the bag-o-buns and (gulp) notice a few s
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5 responses
30 Jun 16
They are one pesky intruder really but then they are interesting to study as well.
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@LadyDuck (502208)
• Italy
30 Jun 16
I remember when we made experiments with yeast in school. It was amazing.
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@succeednow (1632)
• Singapore
30 Jun 16
I understand such organism if ingested can make one really sick. Just the thought of biting into a piece of stale bread makes me sick!
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@Chungshop (2355)
30 Jun 16
Without yeast we cannot make bread. But too much yeast can cause yeast infection [itchy].
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@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
30 Jun 16
Bread can turn moldy very quickly in humid weather such as in Texas and Florida.
30 Jun 16
Some Aussies, mostly big families, store up bulk bread and freeze them. I used to do it.