Does mold affect flavor?

Tips and tecniques on dryng drying, curing etc.

Does mold affect flavor?

Postby johngaltsmotor » Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:19 pm

Okay, I know if you're using natural casings and leave them on that the white mold will affect the flavor of your salami. But if you're using protein lined fibrous casings, and you're going to strip the casing off before eating, is there any way that the mold will alter the flavor?
I've got some pepperoni and fennechiona drying and I'm not 100% sure the natural mold that popped up is all dry and not fuzzy so I hit them with some red wine vinegar. But it's tenacious stuff and comes back quick even with the surface left acidic. I'm wondering if the best bet is just to intentionally grow the good mold as a precaution and then remove it - but I don't want to alter the flavor without realizing it.
Do others keep wiping the surface or just innoculate and be done with it?
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby NCPaul » Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:44 pm

It does to me, so I'm constantly playing defense. One thing I learned with my last batch of salamis is that using straight vinegar will eventually denature the protein lining of the casing and cause it to come free from the salami. Next year I'll use a dilution of vinegar instead. At a certain point in the drying process, the lack of water availability will keep mold in check. I'm probably in the minority among salami makers in finding the slight amine taste from the mold objectionable.
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby johngaltsmotor » Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:10 pm

Okay, I figured if the moisture can get out of the casing that there is the chance that some byproducts of the mold migrate into the meat from the outside.
I didn't want to have a chorizo sourness so I diluted the vinegar with water, but I wasn't aware that it would hurt the casings so that's good to know. I was tempted to give them a round of cold smoke but didn't have the ambition this past weekend.
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby NCPaul » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:37 pm

The mold lives on the salami, as in the salami is it's food. I think the taste that I disliked is from breakdown products caused by mold feeding on protein. :D The reason why black mold is so bad is that toxins are transferred through the casing. I've had mold start in the space between the casing and the meat, so mold spores are small enough to pass through. Smoking will inhibit mold but I'm not sure why.
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby johngaltsmotor » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:56 pm

I remember reading that the smoke makes the surface acidic which is what helps prevent mold growth. I just don't have an experienced enough palette to know if the addition of smoked flavors would work well with these recipes (although if that's what it takes to be successful...) Thanks for the feedback Paul.
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby johngaltsmotor » Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:29 pm

In looking for a typical drying curve last night I accidentally grabbed Quality Meats and Sausages instead of Fermented Sausages (no wonder I couldn't find a graph...) And one of the things they mentioned was salting the surface to retard mold growth.
Not sure why it didn't occur to me but I think next time I'll start with a lite salt water spray. Likely not as effective as it doesn't reduce the pH, but might not affect the protein lining of the casing or flavor like vinegar would.
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Re: Does mold affect flavor?

Postby NCPaul » Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:49 pm

Glad to know that. Probably why dry curing whole meats (like pancetta Tessa) seldom show mold. :D
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