Is it good to eat moldy cheese?
Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta, with mold should be discarded. The same goes for any kind of cheese that's shredded, crumbled or sliced. With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese — contaminating more than you see.
The bottom line
Blue cheese is made using a type of mold called Penicillium, which is responsible for its distinct taste, smell, and appearance. Unlike other types of mold, the types of Penicillium used to produce blue cheese do not produce mycotoxins and are considered safe to consume.
As soon as you realize the cheese is moldy, throw it out. If you notice mold on a block of hard or semisoft cheese, it is safe to cut it off, along with a one-inch radius around it. While rare, possible symptoms of eating mold may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and allergic reactions.
It's rare for spores to spread far beyond the surface of hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Colby, Swiss, and Cheddar. This means that the rest of the product is likely safe to eat.
Harder, aged cheeses, like aged Cheddar or Parmesan can just have the mold scraped away. With white, fuzzy mold, tinged with green, the flavor effect is minimal and the mold can be safely cut away without incident.
The mold is safe to eat, though some people cut it off because they don't like the flavor or texture. These cheeses are specially aged in a place that is full of mold spores, and carefully monitored so only the right kind of mold grows on them or in them.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the Penicillium cultures that create blue cheese do not produce penicillin. Therefore, it is generally safe for people with penicillin allergies to eat blue cheese, as long as the cheese has not spoiled.
This is because cheese is much harder than bread, and the mold cannot spread so easily through it.
Alexander Fleming famously discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, in 1928 while working at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, which is now part of Imperial College London. The antibiotic was produced by a mould in the genus Penicillium that accidentally started growing in a Petri dish.
Yes, it is a Penicillium mold that produces the antibiotic penicillin…but not the same one. The antibiotic is made from Penicillium chrysogenum; the cheeses are made with Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium camemberti, and Penicillium glaucum.
What should I do if I accidentally ate moldy cheese?
Most likely, you'll be okay.” However, in certain cases, the mold found on spoiled food could be dangerous, so if you suddenly develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, an elevated temperature or diarrhea, you should immediately seek medical help.
“If mold is present on soft cheeses (such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, and ricotta), or any kind of cheese that is shredded, crumbled, or sliced … toss it. Toss it all!” says Ithnat.

No need to worry - these tiny white specks are actually a good thing. They're most likely calcium lactate crystals, also known as “cheese crystals.” They are completely safe to eat, and usually signify that a cheese is flavorful and well-aged.
Moldy food can contain mycotoxins that are poisonous to your dog. If ingested, the syndrome that can occur is called mycotoxin intoxication or mycotoxin toxicosis. Seizures and tremors are the most common symptoms. Severe cases can be fatal without treatment.
Again, if you eat mold, the odds are high that nothing will happen or you may experience a slight gastrointestinal upset. “You would need a very under-developed immune system and to eat a ton of mold in order to get sick,” Detwiler says. “Even that is not likely to kill you.”
Vinegar. You can actually wipe the mold away with a clean cloth you've dipped into white vinegar. Not the most pleasant job, it does work to save the cheese.
One of the main psychrotrophic organisms of concern in the dairy industry is Pseudomonas spp. which can cause spoilage defects. Among these defects are the blue discoloration produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens in dairy products like fresh mozzarella or queso fresco.
Yogurt is simply milk acidified by specific strains of bacteria, and can be made easily in a microbiology class or even at home.
griseofulvum is frequently isolated from corn, wheat, barley, flour, and walnuts (40) and from meat products (27), thus being a potential source for the presence of penicillin in food.
The blue veins running through Stilton cheese comes from the same group of molds that produced the first antibiotic. The antibiotic penicillin is made from the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.
What is a natural penicillin?
Natural penicillins are produced from the fermentation of the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum. The semisynthetic penicillins, on the other hand, are prepared from (+)-6-aminopenicillanic acid.
Is cheese made from mold? Cheese is not mold nor is it the by-product of mold. Some cheese varieties like blue cheese have specific species of mold that are intentionally added during the cheesemaking process to enhance the flavor of texture. The mold added to these cheeses can be thought of as a special ingredient.
Blue cheese mold is the fungus that's used to make blue cheese and includes one type of mold: Penicillium roqueforti.
Q: How long after eating moldy bread will I get sick? If you end up getting sick from eating bad bread, it will happen within a few hours. Moldy bread can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
Today penicillin is synthesized in a lab using penicillium mold, which naturally produces penicillin. The mold is grown with sugars and other ingredients through deep-tank fermentation until the penicillin is able to be separated from the mold.
Penicillium camemberti is a species of fungus in the genus Penicillium. It is used in the production of Camembert, Brie, Langres, Coulommiers, and Cambozola cheeses, on which colonies of P. camemberti form a hard, white crust. It is responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive flavors.
Penicillium mold naturally produces the antibiotic penicillin.
Penicillium roqueforti creates the characteristic blue veins in blue cheese after the aged curds have been pierced, forming air tunnels in the cheese. When given oxygen, the mold is able to grow along the surface of the curd-air interface.
Like other fermented foods such as sourdough, kombucha, and kimchi, cheese is the product of bacteria and yeast, plus mold. Cheese is mostly coagulated milk, but adding a unique culture of microbes determines its texture and flavor.
The simple answer is yes. The Penicillium species used in the production of Brie-type and blue cheeses is distinctly different from the species used to produce the antibiotic penicillin. There are many different species of Penicillium mould.
Can mold grow in your stomach?
Invasive mold infection (IMI) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a rare complication in immunocompromised patients that carries a high mortality rate. It is most often described in the setting of disseminated disease.
Yes, molds can thrive in high-acid foods like jams, jellies, pickles, fruit, and tomatoes. But these microscopic fungi are easily destroyed by heat processing high-acid foods at a temperature of 212 °F in a boiling water canner for the recommended length of time.
It is basically a natural calcium buildup that occurs over time during the aging process, and it sometimes will become visible on the surface of the cheese. Don't worry – it is completely natural and safe to eat!
Again, if you eat mold, the odds are high that nothing will happen or you may experience a slight gastrointestinal upset. “You would need a very under-developed immune system and to eat a ton of mold in order to get sick,” Detwiler says. “Even that is not likely to kill you.”
Most likely, you'll be okay.” However, in certain cases, the mold found on spoiled food could be dangerous, so if you suddenly develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, an elevated temperature or diarrhea, you should immediately seek medical help.
Yes, it is a Penicillium mold that produces the antibiotic penicillin…but not the same one. The antibiotic is made from Penicillium chrysogenum; the cheeses are made with Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium camemberti, and Penicillium glaucum.
Yes, blue cheese is made with mold. Some people find this troubling (some even go so far as to describe it as tasting like feet) despite the fact that this particular mold is not only safe for human consumption, but could even be healthy.
The Bottom Line. You shouldn't eat mold on bread or from a loaf with visible spots. The mold roots can quickly spread through bread, though you can't see them. Eating moldy bread could make you sick, and inhaling spores may trigger breathing problems if you have a mold allergy.
“However, some molds can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. Other molds can produce poisonous toxins and make you sick.” If you do eat moldy food and feel ill or short of breath, see a doctor immediately.
The short answer is no, you're probably not going to die from eating mold; you'll digest it like any other food, and as long as you've got a relatively healthy immune system, the most you'll experience is some nausea or vomiting due to the taste/idea of what you've just eaten.
Whats the worst thing that can happen if you eat mold?
Mold can produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. These can cause disease and even death, depending on the amount consumed, the length of exposure and the age and health of the individual ( 11 ). Acute toxicity includes gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, as well as acute liver disease.
Drinking from a moldy water bottle can make you sick because you are swallowing mold. Mold can cause all kinds of problems including respiratory problems, nausea, cramping, diarrhea and unexplained infections.
So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) around and below the moldy spot. Be sure to keep the knife out of the mold, so it doesn't contaminate other parts of the cheese. Of course, not all molds pose a risk.
Blue cheese mold is the fungus that's used to make blue cheese and includes one type of mold: Penicillium roqueforti.
Blue cheese (or bleu cheese) is semi-soft cheese with a sharp, salty flavor. It is made with cultures of the edible mold Penicillium, giving it spots or veins throughout the cheese in shades of blue or green.