EQ cured coppa for two weeks vacuum sealed. Then put in steak dry age wrap. It’s approaching the third week of hanging and this is the first sign of mold. Should I vinegar rinse or is this beneficial mold and let it be.
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kerouackid89 on
My rule of thumb is that short-haired white mold is fine(commonly penicillin), wipe it off with some vinegar and keep going, long haired white mold is not ideal, and green/black is a toss.
mrlmmaeatchu on
I’ll get down voted but here goes. The molds that grow on charcuterie in most cases are not harmful if ingested it is a lot more dangerous to breath them. The color of the mold is not always the best identifier and there are other colors besides black that produce aflatoxins and mycotoxins. New research has found iirc and don’t have a link to the source that mold that were generally regarded as safe may not be as safe as previously thought.
I’ve been in the food industry for 20+ years and would rightfully toss any molded foods except the occasional hard cheeses. Now when doing charcuterie at home I use no commercial cultures to ferment and no commercial mold on the surface except when growing Koji on cured meat in the Umanski fashion.
The main thing mold does in charcuterie from my understanding is when a an item is in the process of drying it will slow this process and allow a more even finish. It will leave subtle flavor nuances in most cases as well unless you have something unwanted show up. You can lower the chances of unwanted cultures for the fermentation and drying process by either growing your own cultures on fruits and vegetables by lacto fermentation and by applying mold culture to the surface of the product this can be obtained from commercially produced items or from the naturally occurring molds that are growing around you. This is where we’re at with your question I had a chamber set up and started a colony of desirable molds and built upon it over time. You really can’t tell by looking at macro shots whether something will cause illness or death you can only give your best guess. Most people will tell you to burn your house down along with any product that has a hint of black fuzzy mold growing on it. Most black mold seen in the home are non toxic Cladisporium. We also use Aspergillus niger to make citric acid. Of the two types of toxic black mold only one produces mycotoxin and in some cases isn’t even black but dark green.
Most people take the casing off the product when finished drying brushing and rinsing is also an option before serving.
What I’m saying is you should get a good filtration system for your home so you aren’t breathing dry mold and spores that are released if your producing in all actuality small amounts and use your best judgement by doing research on what you’re growing and learning to identify it before consuming it.
I’ve had many long arguments on FB in charcuterie groups and most people don’t do enough research before saying something is or isn’t safe. I’m not a mycologist or expert at charcuterie and do not claim to be one. I can only give you my limited experienced opinion and would say that that is completely safe to eat even if it were covered in it but only you know the conditions and only you know your comfort zone with the fungi world that surrounds us
3 Comments
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My rule of thumb is that short-haired white mold is fine(commonly penicillin), wipe it off with some vinegar and keep going, long haired white mold is not ideal, and green/black is a toss.
I’ll get down voted but here goes. The molds that grow on charcuterie in most cases are not harmful if ingested it is a lot more dangerous to breath them. The color of the mold is not always the best identifier and there are other colors besides black that produce aflatoxins and mycotoxins. New research has found iirc and don’t have a link to the source that mold that were generally regarded as safe may not be as safe as previously thought.
I’ve been in the food industry for 20+ years and would rightfully toss any molded foods except the occasional hard cheeses. Now when doing charcuterie at home I use no commercial cultures to ferment and no commercial mold on the surface except when growing Koji on cured meat in the Umanski fashion.
The main thing mold does in charcuterie from my understanding is when a an item is in the process of drying it will slow this process and allow a more even finish. It will leave subtle flavor nuances in most cases as well unless you have something unwanted show up. You can lower the chances of unwanted cultures for the fermentation and drying process by either growing your own cultures on fruits and vegetables by lacto fermentation and by applying mold culture to the surface of the product this can be obtained from commercially produced items or from the naturally occurring molds that are growing around you. This is where we’re at with your question I had a chamber set up and started a colony of desirable molds and built upon it over time. You really can’t tell by looking at macro shots whether something will cause illness or death you can only give your best guess. Most people will tell you to burn your house down along with any product that has a hint of black fuzzy mold growing on it. Most black mold seen in the home are non toxic Cladisporium. We also use Aspergillus niger to make citric acid. Of the two types of toxic black mold only one produces mycotoxin and in some cases isn’t even black but dark green.
Most people take the casing off the product when finished drying brushing and rinsing is also an option before serving.
What I’m saying is you should get a good filtration system for your home so you aren’t breathing dry mold and spores that are released if your producing in all actuality small amounts and use your best judgement by doing research on what you’re growing and learning to identify it before consuming it.
I’ve had many long arguments on FB in charcuterie groups and most people don’t do enough research before saying something is or isn’t safe. I’m not a mycologist or expert at charcuterie and do not claim to be one. I can only give you my limited experienced opinion and would say that that is completely safe to eat even if it were covered in it but only you know the conditions and only you know your comfort zone with the fungi world that surrounds us