Understanding and Preventing Bread Mold

8/25/2022 (Permalink)

Mold on bread loaf

You've probably opened a loaf of bread only to be disappointed and alarmed to see it covered in fuzzy mold. Finding this fungus in the kitchen is normal, but understanding how fungus growth occurs in Cloverleaf,TX, is key to preventing it.

How Mold Occurs

There are mold spores floating through the air everywhere around you, looking for a place to land. Many of them land on inhospitable environments, but some land on a location with characteristics ideal for their growth:

• Warmth
• Moisture
• Plenty of food
  
  

Bread mold occurs when these spores take up residence on your loaf of bread, which is full of moisture and food for the fungus, and is often kept in a nice, warm pantry. They spread very quickly, which is why you can find mold-covered bread just the day after it seemed perfectly fine.

How To Prevent It
While it's nearly impossible to totally prevent fungus growth on your food, you can do some things to slow it down before it overtakes it. Keeping items in the refrigerator will help slow mold because the spores don't thrive in cold environments. They can still grow though, which is why you find fridge mold as well. Double your efforts by keeping items in sealed containers both in your refrigerator and pantry, and cut down on the amount of time they're sitting in the open. This will help reduce the number of spores landing on your food. If you do find mold on your food, clean the area where it was sitting and check surrounding items, as the mold might have spread to them as well. Dispose of the moldy item in a sealed bag so that the spores don't spread further.
While bread mold is inevitable, you can slow its spread by taking precautions like sealing your food, keeping it covered as much as possible, and thoroughly cleaning the area where moldy food was stored to prevent it from spreading. If you start finding mold on your walls and in your cabinets, though, it might be time to call mold cleanup professionals, as this can be indicative of a larger problem.