Yet another is this mold?

[Harleybrew32]

I was making bucha for a while with no problems. I stopped for about 6 months but kept my scobys in a hotel in the basement. They look fine, my nephew started drinking store bought and asked me about. So I pulled a scoby and made a batch for him. Put it on top the the ole fridge a week ago and checked today and saw this. Looks like a mold to me. What do you think?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yep, mold.

 

[Harleybrew32]

could that be from my old scobys or something else? should i try a different scoby from my hotel?
i can always get a bottle from him and start a new scoby.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Air is full of mold spores.

Dump that entire batch that has mold on it.

 

[Harleybrew32]

yup planning on dumping it, just curious why the mold started, always had great luck with the other batches, in fact never had to dump one. guess one batch isn't the end of the world.
thanks for the quick replies. also i poked around on the **************** wiki some great info on there for sours, atleast that was the area i was checking out.

 

[IslandLizard]

Air is full of mold spores.

Dump that entire batch that hat mold on it.

I swear I've read somewhere you can scoop those small mold rafts off the surface, and keep using the scobies.

The reasoning may have been that the liquid had the small mold patches but didn't affect the scobies underneath.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I swear I've read somewhere you can scoop those small mold rafts off the surface, and keep using the scobies.

The reasoning may have been that the liquid had the small mold patches but didn't affect the scobies underneath.

That wouldn't surprise me one bit. On kombucha sites, usually half the information is false, superstition, or otherwise bad practice.

Mold is by definition filamentous. It sends out hyphae, or "roots" in laymen's terms, and it can secrete allergens, toxins, and carcinogens that would be impossible to separate from the liquid/culture. Carcinogens wouldn't get you sick immediately, so you wouldn't even necessarily know you're ingesting them.

I generally recommend avoiding that risk, as does the USDA:
"Microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mold and using the remaining [soft food]."
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/porta...ng/molds-on-food-are-they-dangerous_/ct_index

 

[IslandLizard]

"Microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mold and using the remaining [soft food]."

I guess there are levels of mold infestation too that could be taken into consideration. 2 little rafts vs. a 1/4" thick green carpet with a mold smell you'll never forget.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I guess there are levels of mold infestation too that could be taken into consideration. 2 little rafts vs. a 1/4" thick green carpet with a mold smell you'll never forget.

It's impossible for us to quantify how much mycotoxin or allergens may be present. Some people have life-threatening reactions to penicillin for example, which could trigger with a very small amount.

There are a wide variety of possible toxins and they have negative health impacts even in small amounts.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mycotoxins
Friends here on the forum have wound up sick from brewing with moldy grain. It's not good to mess around with mold.

 

[Harleybrew32]

no moldy stuff for me. dumped it yesterday and already made another batch with a fresh Scoby from my hotel.
I know you can see stuff hanging in kombucha, but after reading the above stuff, i could see ropey? stuff hanging under the mold islands. I wouldnt take a chance with any mold.
thanks again

 

[bracconiere]

or "roots" in laymen's terms, and it can secrete allergens, toxins, and carcinogens

i'm curious do you eat blue cheese, or pepperoni? just curious, not insinuating anything......lol

edit: and also brie?

 

[RPh_Guy]

i'm curious do you eat blue cheese, or pepperoni? just curious, not insinuating anything......lol

edit: and also brie?

Actually no, I don't like blue cheese, any cheese from unpasteurized milk, or pepperoni. I don't think I've had brie.
I did once have a delicious sauce made from gorganzola though; they must not have used much because it didn't taste overtly moldy like gorganzola.

Domesticated mold is ok, because hopefully somewhere along the way it was tested for whether it produces toxins. It's wild mold that is dangerous.
It's like the difference between eating a probiotic pill vs licking a public toilet seat -- one of them is a reasonable source of bacteria.

I put this stuff into an article for referencing later...
https://modernbrewhouse.com/wiki/Mold

 

[bracconiere]

tested for whether it produces toxins.

LOL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_taster
Good ol' Louis wasn't even born till 1822....

and, you don't like pepperoni? i didn't know that about you......

 

[RPh_Guy]

There are many foods I don't like because I'm a "supertaster".

Good ol' Louis wasn't even born till 1822....

Are we debating something?

 

[bracconiere]

Are we debating something?

i don't think so? i had the bracketed thing all typed out, then realized i contradicted myself...but left it because it would have been a waste of keystrokes to delete it,

(just as far as i know, before louis pastureure(SP?) , i assumed we got all kinds of great food from people just eating whatever......kinda like how a rat/mouse will eat bait, unless it's seen another one die from it....)

 

[RPh_Guy]

just as far as i know, before louis pastureure(SP?) , i assumed we got all kinds of great food from people just eating whatever.

Most people in the 1800s died by their late 20s...

 

[bracconiere]

Most people in the 1800s died by their late 20s...

i was going to say that too! but bit my tongue......with the way i live, i'm surprised i made it to 41.....from what the gov'ment tells me, i shouldn't have teeth, and be pimply....(and as far as health goes, people aren't as bright as a rat/mouse....they get diabetes, heart disease, and still eat the same things)