How Fast Does Fungus Grow on Bread?

Description

• Fungi are microorganisms found in any source of nutrient-rich material from soil to water or decaying matter. Mold is a form of fungi and covers a range of microscopic plants. Bread has specific molds that both help create it and destroy it. Yeast is a form of mold used to create bread. Rhizopus stolonifer is the form of mold most commonly found on bread as it decays. Dark spots or white strands are often signs of mold growing on bread. As with mushrooms, another form of fungi, visible mold is a small part of the overall growth that is made up of a network of strands and connective tissues. If you spot mold even on a corner of a slice of bread, it is most likely spread throughout the slice underneath the surface.

Conditions

• Find the most suitable conditions for molds in areas where the temperature is between 77 and 86 degrees F. This is considered room temperature. Bread mold thrives on warm, moist conditions, but similar to many types of mold, it can grow in colder or low moisture conditions such as refrigerators. The wetter the dough, the faster the mold grows. This is how yeast spreads to help bread loaves rise before baking. Yeast can spread through dough within hours. Extreme heat such as oven interiors can kill mold spores, although molds can survive in ranges between 90 and 99 degrees F.

  Bread goes stale faster when refrigerated but slower at room temperature. The slower the staling process, the faster mold is able to spread due to the available moisture. Refrigerated breads lose their moisture content faster than bread kept at room temperature.

Variables

• Consider the moisture and nutritional content of the bread. White bread and Boston brown breads are high in moisture, thus attractive to mold growth. Whole wheat bread is lower in moisture content but higher in nutrients that spores can feed upon. Homemade bread develops signs of fungus quicker than commercial types because of the lack of growth inhibitors such as calcium propionate.

Time Frame

• Look for fungus to appear on bread within seven days -- or as soon as two days given favorable conditions. Unsealed bread kept in darkness at room temperatures such as in bread boxes will develop mold faster than wrapped bread frozen. Homemade bread can develop mold within two days, whereas store-bought bread may take a week given similar conditions.