I bought a 3 pound bag of peeled garlic. Some of them have white mold on them. Should I throw the lot away or pick through the bad ones & discard?

asked Feb 12, 2013 at 18:23

Kim's user avatar

1

Throw the lot away. Mold is not always visible but when it is, the mycelium may be present in the entire substance, especially in foods with high moisture content. Eating the mycelium can make you sick and it can continue to develop mold after you've cut the moldy parts away.

answered Feb 12, 2013 at 20:15

AdamO's user avatar

Pick through. I even cut out, then use the good part. It is most likely Penicillium hirsutum, "blue mold of garlic". Sporulation and germination are delayed at low temps (i.e. fridge)[1], therefore you see only white which are the mycelia.

[1] "Low-temperature biology and pathogenicity of Penicillium hirsutum on garlic in storage", P. Bertolini et. al, 1996, https://doi.org/10.1016/0925-5214(95)00025-9

answered Dec 17, 2019 at 20:22

Nissim Nanach's user avatar