Moldy fruit, moldy yogurt – with these products, the decision to throw away is quickly made. But does that also apply to moldy bread? Some hesitate to throw away bread at the first sign of mold and generously cut out the infested area. Others take the slightest green-bluish tinge as an opportunity to throw the entire loaf into the trash can. Throw away or cut out – that is the question here. In addition, there is also the possibility of buying bread that has been made more durable by various methods.
Preservation and pasteurization of bread
Certain types of bread (e.g. rye breads, sliced breads, pre-packed pre-baked breads) may be preserved with sorbic acid, propionic acid or their salts to protect against mold. This process has now been replaced by pasteurization. It is generally known for preserving milk. Pasteurization kills most heat-sensitive microorganisms (e.g. yeasts, molds).
However, even pasteurized foods are not germ-free, but only low-germ and thus have a limited shelf life. When bread is pasteurized, the packaged product is heated to about 70 degrees Celsius for 15 to 30 minutes and is then allowed to bear the label “without preservatives” or “not chemically preserved.”
10 healthy breads
10 tips for bread storage
- Bread does not belong in the refrigerator, but is stored at room temperature, preferably in a bread pot, bread box or a linen bag. Plastic bags and plastic containers close bread from the air and are unsuitable.
- The type of bread, but also the baking method determine how quickly bread begins to mold. Best keep breads with the addition of sourdough or dough acidifiers such as rye and mixed rye bread. Poorly durable, on the other hand, is wheat bread.
- Buy especially in the summer only as much bread as you actually need.
- Dry, airy and not too warm – so bread likes it best.
- Leave sliced bread in its packaging and remove only as many slices as actually consumed.
- Bread crumbs lying around and moisture promote mold growth. Clean your bread container regularly (eg with vinegar water) and dry it out well.
- In warm and humid weather, you can also store their bread in the refrigerator. There it gets stale faster, but molds less quickly.
- Bread is also good to freeze. Frozen you can keep it for one to three months. Why not freeze the sliced bread – so you can remove individual slices and quickly defrost in the toaster.
- One way to restore some flavor and softness to stale bread is to bake it up. The heat namely releases the aroma substances again.
- Bread likes to take foreign odors, so they should always store it separately.
Throw away bread or cut it out?
The toxic substances in mold can damage the liver and kidneys after consumption. The toxin aflatoxin, for example, causes severe liver damage and promotes cancer.
The dangerous thing about moldy bread is that the mold not only spreads visibly on the surface, but also invisibly inside the bread. Therefore, it is recommended to throw away the bread completely.
In the case of sliced bread, which molds more quickly than bread in one piece, it is often advised to discard not only the affected area, but also a few slices before and behind it. Again, it is safer to discard the entire loaf.
