Mold on Preserves

[Shel_B]

There's a jar of home made apricot preserves that has been in the refrigerator several months, and today I noticed a small, circular patch of mold on the surface.  The patch is about one centimeter in diameter.  Would it be safe to remove the mold, plus a fair amount around the patch, and eat the rest of the preserves.  I'm not sure I want to do it, but I am curious about the safety of doing such a thing.  Thanks!

[Smithy]

I probably would do it (in fact, I have) if I trusted the maker of the preserves to follow directions.  Sugar is supposed to be a good preservative, so the mold should not extend far beyond whatever surface contamination caused the mold. I say "supposed to be" because if the directions weren't followed - say, the temperature didn't go as high as it was supposed to during the preservation process - then the sugar concentration isn't as high as recommended.

 

On the other hand, I'm not a microbiologist and don't know what sort of mold might be growing there...

[keychris]

if my wife sees the mold, the whole jar goes in the compost. If she doesn't, the mold gets scooped out and we keep eating delicious jam

[Tennessee Cowboy]

14 minutes ago, keychris said:

if my wife sees the mold, the whole jar goes in the compost. If she doesn't, the mold gets scooped out and we keep eating delicious jam

Made me laugh out loud.  Yep, that's the same rule as our house!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'd go for it, myself.

 

[Lisa Shock]

If it's black, it could be very dangerous. Some of the white types aren't so bad. You have, however, two things to consider: there can be tiny 'roots' extending further, on a microscopic level, than the naked eye can see, and, people over the age of 60 have declining immune systems. Foods that a 20 year old can eat and maybe just have minor indigestion can cause a seriously debilitating bout of illness in a senior -and in a child under the age of 6, pregnant women, people undergoing chemotherapy, people sick with something else, people with organ transplants taking immuno-supressing drugs, and anyone with a compromised immune system. If it's just you, and you like taking risks, that's up to you. But think long and hard about who else you're serving it to.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Lisa Shock
corrected tense issue (log)

[Shel_B]

6 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

If it's black, it could be very dangerous. Some of the white types aren't so bad.

 

In this case the mold is white ...

 

Thanks to all for your input.  Very helpful and appreciated.  Considering all factors, including my age and health, and the points made by Lisa, I'll toss the preserves.  Apricots are coming into season and it's simple and cheap to make more preserves.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Shel_B (log)

[gfweb]

Fungus and mold tend not to cause an acute food poisoning like bacteria can. But some produce toxins that over the long haul can promote cancer, eg aflatoxin from Aspergillus (which typically grows on grains and breads).

 

Another thought is that the mold is just the fungus you can see growing.  What else is growing in there that you can't see?

 

But its probably safe if you are healthy.