Recently, a kind of tofu covered with white fluff - "mold tofu" has become popular. Many Chinese netizens have posted photos of their own "mold tofu" made from fermented tofu. However, on the one hand, there is the temptation of "the moldier, the more fragrant", and on the other hand, there is the worry of "can moldy food be eaten with confidence?" Why can moldy tofu be eaten even if it is moldy? What are the risks of making homemade "mold tofu"? Can I eat it with confidence?
Generally, moldy foods should not be eaten anymore, because moldy not only affects the taste and nutritional value, but may also cause food poisoning. For example, some moldy peanuts, soybeans, etc. may also contain aflatoxin, which is harmful to human health. The "mold" of moldy tofu is different from mold in ordinary food. The core of making moldy tofu is "fermentation", which mainly relies on beneficial fungi such as Mucor to work.
Ruan Guangfeng, a member of the Health Communication Branch of the Chinese Association of Preventive Medicine, said that molded tofu and fermented bean curd mainly use some specific and safe molds for fermentation, such as some Mucor, Rhizopus, etc. These edible molds have been domesticated by humans and do not produce toxins. They can also secrete proteases, lipases, etc. They form a white mold-like blanket-like substance on the surface of the tofu, which inhibits the growth of miscellaneous bacteria and therefore is edible.
Hairy tofu, a popular snack in Anhui, Zhejiang and other places, is also a classic use of Mucor. It needs to be fermented at a constant temperature of about 18°C for 3 to 4 days before white hyphae like coir raincoats will grow. Since Mucor is safe, can Chinese netizens’ “homemade moldy tofu” be safe to eat?
Ruan Guangfeng, a member of the Health Communication Branch of the Chinese Society of Preventive Medicine, said that the production of fermented foods such as moldy tofu has strict requirements on temperature, humidity, and bacterial strains, and the introduction of miscellaneous bacteria must also be avoided during the production process. High temperatures can easily lead to the production of a large number of other miscellaneous bacteria, while excessive humidity can lead to the risk of anaerobic pathogenic bacteria. When making homemade food, if the ratio of salt to wine is insufficient, the fermentation will be difficult to control. If you add too little, miscellaneous bacteria will grow more easily. If you add too much, it will be detrimental to the growth of beneficial bacteria. In addition, during the post-fermentation stage, if the sealing is not tight or secondary contamination occurs during handling, these will lead to unsuccessful fermentation and product safety cannot be guaranteed.
Ruan Guangfeng pointed out that the biggest difference between industrial production and home-made production is controllability, which is also the most critical core of food safety. From a food safety perspective, if you are not familiar with the production process or the production environment is uncontrollable, try not to try to make homemade "mold tofu" as there may be a risk of contamination by foreign bacteria.
It can be seen that "homemade molded tofu" still has considerable food safety risks. So is the "mold tofu" bought through regular channels suitable for everyone to eat? Experts said that "mold tofu" smells bad and tastes delicious. During the production process, a large amount of nutrients in the raw materials are retained, and beneficial ingredients such as amino acids are also produced. However, because molded tofu contains relatively high sugar, salt, and purine levels, patients with "three highs" and gout, people allergic to soy products, children, adolescents, pregnant women, etc. need to control their intake.
