What's the White Stuff on Cheese?

If your sensation successful cheese has evolved beyond the individually-wrapped processed American slices and into blocks of the hard stuff—like cheddar—you’ve astir apt noticed that immoderate cheeses tin make a chalky achromatic substance connected their surface. At archetypal glance, it looks similar mold. It’s usually not a bully thought to devour mold.

Is it fungus? Or is your food harmless and conscionable making you paranoid?

It’s astir apt fine. The achromatic worldly seen connected cheddar is typically calcium lactate, which is the effect of lactic acerb interacting with calcium. When food has much h2o content, the lactate isn’t visible. As food ages, immoderate of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it. When that h2o ebbs, the lactate remains down and tin look arsenic powdery, crystal-like particles connected the aboveground of the cheese.

Calcium lactate is wholly harmless. It mightiness adjacent beryllium a motion the food has matured and is truthful tastier. But it’s besides remarkably akin successful quality to mold. So however tin you archer the difference? Calcium lactate crystals are going to consciousness somewhat coarse, much similar sand. Mold volition beryllium brushed and is much apt to instrumentality up from the aboveground of the food than the lactate, which is flat. Fondling the food should springiness you immoderate denotation of which is which.

You tin besides effort scraping it with a knife. If it flakes off, it’s astir apt calcium lactate. If it conscionable disintegrates, it’s astir apt mold.

Other types of food tin harbor akin growths. Italian, Swiss, and Dutch cheeses whitethorn person disposable Lactobacillus helveticus, which is added to helped make amino acids for flavor. The bacteria spurs the improvement of tyrosine, which besides appears arsenic achromatic crystals arsenic food loses moisture. Unlike calcium lactate, tyrosine is usually recovered connected the inside, not the surface, of cheese.

In the lawsuit your food is really increasing mold, you tin ne'er spell incorrect by simply throwing it out. But according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it should beryllium harmless to chopped mold retired of hard cheeses and devour the remainder. Be definite to chopped astatine slightest 1 inch astir the moldy country and don’t fto the weapon travel successful interaction with the growth. Mold successful immoderate brushed foods (bread, yogurt) means it can’t beryllium locally contained and should beryllium discarded.

[h/t Mashed]

Have you got a Big Question you'd similar america to answer? If so, fto america cognize by emailing america astatine bigquestions@mentalfloss.com.