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Hi all,

I made some salami 2 weeks ago and have been hanging them in a converted fridge that I think has enough air flow. The humidity is around 80% and the temp ranges from 5C to 10C. I'm still new to all this, but I did notice that white mould appeared much faster than my previous (first) batch. I thought that maybe there were still some spores from the previous batch lingering in the fridge.

Anyway, the nice white mould pretty quickly turned a dark, khaki green with patches of a very fluffy grey mould. Here are some pics.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rhwatx2bh9nxc ... 3.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zyou7rbye2gt6 ... 2.jpg?dl=0

Are they fine? Are they ruined? Should I remove the netting and wipe them down with a vinegar solution?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bill

I would wipe them down. You didn't mention using a mold culture so I'm assuming you just have wild mold from your location. Most molds are not toxic but I personally don't care for them.

OK thanks - I'll try that. And yes I should have mentioned I did use this starter culture - https://sausagesmadesimple.com.au/colle ... -culture-2

You just sprinkle a bit onto the mix before stuffing.

Thanks again

Starter culture and mold culture are different things. Here's how you can create a mold culture with an acceptable strain of mold if you want.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8561

Thanks - I will definitely try that for the next batch. Do you start your salami at the 20-30 degree C as mentioned in that post?

BillyT wrote:Hi all,

I made some salami 2 weeks ago and have been hanging them in a converted fridge that I think has enough air flow. The humidity is around 80% and the temp ranges from 5C to 10C.

You need to drop the humidity down to 75% -- I run 2c to 3c on temperature and 75% humidity -- the reason for the green mould (and its no biggie) is that there is too much moisture within your unit

Are they fine? Are they ruined? Should I remove the netting and wipe them down with a vinegar solution?

they are fine, just wipe down with a dry cloth or use a soft nylon brush on them ....... myself I just leave until ready

That's a relief - thanks. I have struggled with humidity. I have a humidifier to raise it but haven't found a good way to lower it. Would a bigger outlet fan on the fridge to increase airflow help? Any other suggestions?

Thanks again

BillyT wrote:That's a relief - thanks. I have struggled with humidity. I have a humidifier to raise it but haven't found a good way to lower it.

Never had to drop the humidity myself as I run a constant 75% and if I need to raise it a shallow pan with water and salt dose the trick, so reversing the process if you was to place a pan/tray of salt in the chamber the salt would in fact pull the moisture (humidity) out of the air -- worth a try

Would a bigger outlet fan on the fridge to increase airflow help?

Fans are the worst thing in a curing chamber as they can be the cause of things drying too quick and also causing "case hardening" which is where the outside of the meat you are drying dries far quicker than the middle thus trapping the moisture within the meat

Interesting. I have a small fan to create a bit of air movement - I try not to point this directly at the salami. I also have a tiny computer fan acting an an outlet for the fridge just to get some fresh air coming through.

I'll try the salt tray.

Thanks again

I agree fully with Brican about fans. I've written before about my experiences with them. Even very small fans <25mm (<1 inch) caused case hardening when I used them.

Trays of salt or moist salt will reduce humidity, as will having a heat source that switches on when the humidity is high. This works by making the fridge switch the motor on which has the effect of reducing the humidity.

HTH

Phil

Thanks Phil. I've purchased some silica gel and added a heat mat to the fridge so hopefully the humidity will be under control soon. I'll also turn the fan off now!