Mold is a type of fungus that thrives in moist and poorly ventilated environments and can reproduce by producing spores.They can grow and spread indoors if they land on damp places.
Mold can cause serious health conditions and is often a major problem in homes and buildings. Nevertheless, it’s important to mention that there are also several benefits of mold. While many of them can cause harmful toxins, other types have crucial roles to play like in making certain foods like cheese.
Molds need moisture and food to survive, so they prefer damp, warm environments. They can also feed off a variety of materials in your home, including wallpaper, glue, adhesives for carpet, and backing paper for drywall. Under adverse situations, mold statistics indicate that the fungi can become dormant then become active again when conditions change in their favor.
People overlook the positive functions that molds perform because they only think of this fungi as the source of many allergies and respiratory problems. Yet, some mold varieties actually play important roles in making life better. These include the following:
Some mold types like Penicillum produce penicillin, a natural antibiotic that can kill bacteria. Through deep fermentation, penicillin can be successfully extracted from the mold, purified, and used as medicine.
Certain types of cheeses are produced by using molds. They can be placed on the cheese’s surface or grown internally. The use of Penicillium roqueforti spores led to the production of blue veined cheeses such as Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola. White surface molds are also found in cheeses like Brie and Camembert. These cheeses can be eaten safely because of the molds that they are made from.
Although the above mold varieties can be added to certain foods in order to produce specific effects, they can also cause damage to other products. For example, mold statistics show that while Penicillium roqueforti is a vital ingredient in making blue cheese, it can cause spoilage in fresh or grated cheese.
Although it may seem odd for soy to be produced through molds, it is actually a common practice. Soy sauce can be described as a fermented condiment. It is made by fermenting soya beans and adding mold to it, specifically koji molds, including Aspergillus oryzae.
However, certain molds can cause soy sauce to taste or smell bad. These are molds that can affect the quality of the product in some way. If you don’t close the lid of a soy sauce bottle correctly, these molds can develop inside.
The beverages that contain alcohol (C2H5OH) also have ethanol as one of their main ingredients. Ethanol is almost always produced through fermentation, which is the process of breaking down carbohydrates in certain yeast species under low-oxygen or anaerobic conditions.
The fermentation of alcoholic beverages is done using yeast and mold. However, if they exceed the safe limit, molds can cause quality degradation of the liquor. To ensure that alcoholic beverages meet the standards, yeast and mold testing are normally performed on the final product.
Aspergillus Niiger is a good mold species that is used to produce citric acid. The latter helps preserve canned and jarred food and can also be used to thicken foods and give them a slight sour taste. In certain vegetables and fruits, however, Aspergillus Niiger can produce black mold disease.
There is a type of mushroom known as the Oyster mushroom that is being used in cleaning up the seas after an oil spill because it can help in breaking down the components of oil and petroleum. The fibrous mycelia network of this mushroom can also filter harmful components in soil and water such as pesticides and E. coli . Since both mushroom and mold are fungi, the latter can also be considered as a possible oil spill cleanup material. This can be added to the many benefits of mold.
Every living organism on the planet eventually dies. Yet, we don’t see any remains of these organisms lying around. This is due to decomposition, and fungi like molds are one of the key players in this process.
What is good about mold is that it is a saprobic fungus which means that it feeds on decaying organic material. In short, a mold’s purpose in nature is to help decompose organic matter. Without mold, the circle of life wouldn’t be complete as there will be imbalance.
Scientists are currently conducting research on the possibility of using certain mold varieties to make fuels as part of a global study on the benefits of mold. Briefly, it is possible to use molds when converting cellulose into sugars, which can then be transformed into ethanol.
Molds can either be bad or good, depending on how you want to see this common household fungi. For many, however, molds bring nothing but trouble, especially when you consider that they can damage both health and home.
Still, there’s no doubt that there are many uses and benefits of molds under certain conditions. The fields of medicine and food preparation have used molds extensively for years, and have successfully produced safe and consumable products. Nevertheless, molds utilized in these industries are under generally controlled settings. Left on their own, molds remain harmful to health. In the home, they need to be eliminated by professionals right away to prevent the risk of infestation.
If you’re still wondering how you can completely get rid of molds inside your house, allow Deep Water Emergency Services & Restoration to provide you with the perfect solution.
Simply call us and we’ll send our team of mold mitigation Denver, CO, experts over to your place to see how your problem can be resolved to your satisfaction. Make that call now and we’ll also share with you some interesting facts about mold.
Typically our blog posts focus on the dark side of mold. How mold is hazardous, problematic, and a general headache when it is found inside a home or building. While all of those posts are very informative, it is also worth mentioning the beneficial qualities of mold. This post will shed some light on mold’s critical role in the environment and its impact on the food industry.
All living organisms on this planet die at some point, yet we don’t see the remains of deceased organisms littering the ground. This is mainly because of decomposition. A key player in decomposition is fungi. Mold is a fungus that is saprobic, meaning it feeds on decaying organic materials. By nature, mold’s intended purpose is to break down organic matter; without mold the circle of life would not be complete.
There is even a type of mushroom known as the Oyster mushroom that can help clean up after oil spills permachulturenews.org/2016/02/11/fungi/ . Keep in mind that mushrooms and mold are both fungi. The fibrous mycelia network of the Oyster mushroom can filter harmful components in soil and water such as pesticides and E. coli permachulturenews.org/2016/02/11/fungi/ . This unique property of the Oyster mushroom can even break down oil and petroleum permachulturenews.org/2016/02/11/fungi/ .
In terms of future use of the beneficial qualities of mold, scientists are currently researching methods for using mold to create sustainable sources of fuel. This can be done by using molds to degrade cellulose into sugars which can be converted into ethanol permachulturenews.org/2016/02/11/fungi/ .
http://science.jrank.org/pages/4396/Mold.html”>Mold – Beneficial molds historyThe most obvious impact mold has is on cheese production. Moldy cheeses such as blue cheese and Roquefort use Penicillium roqueforti and Brie and Camembert use Penicillium camemberti to obtain their characteristic flavors fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a87cdc2c-6ddd-49f0-bd1f-393086742e68/Molds_on_Food.pdf?MOD=AJPERES . In addition to cheeses, Asian countries have used a mold type called Aspergillus flavus to make soy sauce fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a87cdc2c-6ddd-49f0-bd1f-393086742e68/Molds_on_Food.pdf?MOD=AJPERES . Rhizopus is another type of mold that is widely used in the brewing industry because it metabolizes starch and produces glucose which is used in the fermentation process http://science.jrank.org/pages/4396/Mold.html”>Mold – Beneficial molds history . Vegans and vegetarians are likely familiar with a food product called tempeh. Tempeh is a cake-like food product similar to tofu that originated in Indonesia http://science.jrank.org/pages/4396/Mold.html”>Mold – Beneficial molds history . To make tempeh soybeans are fermented in water and fungi. This process allows the Rhizopus oligosporus mold to permeate the soybeans and bind them together creating a high protein food product.
Certainly, you do not want your home to have a leak or a mold problem. It is expensive to fix, time-consuming, and a general pain. However, it’s important to keep in mind that mold is a natural and essential part of the environment. It breaks down organic matter, makes delicious food to eat, and can be used to make clothes, building materials, and even furniture. Problems with mold usually occur when mold is found in an area where it shouldn’t be. To learn more about acceptable mold levels inside of a home please read our past blog post “Can a Home Be Mold Free?”. If you are concerned about mold in your home, Indoor Science can perform an inspection in your home or business.