Wiping off mould

[onewheeler]

I've got a small bresaola drying in the cellar. I infected it with mould from a salami at the outset, which grew a splendid white layer (very quickly). It's now about eight - ten days from being ready (about 30% weight loss so far and losing a little more than 1% per day), but it's starting to grow some pale green mould on top of the white. Not 100% coverage, it's spotty all over. It still smells good (a nice, mushroomy aroma) but I'm inclined to wipe it clean.

People here talk about wiping with dilute vinegar. How dilute? I'll probably use white wine vinegar as we have some. Is it a good idea, or should I just let the drying finish first?

My chorizo made a few days ago are also developing a white mould coating, although it's patchy. Should I wipe them at the same time? I've seen mention of wiping with dilute vinegar and then with olive oil. Good idea or not? My inclination is to leave them until anything else starts growing.

Martin/

[grisell]

My method is putting just a drop of 50% acetic acid on the exact spot. It will kill, I assure you. That's an exterminator. Then you will have to wait a couple of weeks for the good mould to return.

[grisell]

As long as your mould is all white and smells like the right thing, you are right!

[wheels]

Is the bresaola cased? I use wine vinegar undiluted on casings when 'spot treating'.

I'd leave the chorizo unless you particularly want them mould free.

As for the olive oil: I tried that and ended up with horribly sticky chorizo.

Phil

[onewheeler]

No, the bresaola isn't cased. The greenish mould is too widely dispersed for spot treatment. Could it be white mould that's dying off as the outer layer dries? It appears very superficial, and it's a very pale grey-green colour: looks more like a spotty discolouration of the white.

Think I'll leave the chorizo for the moment, they shouldn't take so long to dry. They can be wiped once finished.

Martin/

[grisell]

Pictures!

[onewheeler]

I might dig out the camera tomorrow. I've just had a little scrape: the greenish stuff is very thin and on top of the white mould, it looks healthy underneath. The white mould is a real thick layer, quite impressive!

Martin/

[wheels]

I've had similar and just gave it a good rub with a sheet of paper. It removed the green mould, and most of the white for that matter, but it worked, no further nasty mould developed. (although I adjusted the fridge temp/RH on it's return). It's worth a try?

What I like to get is a dusty white mould, it always worries me as it often starts off white but furry. Do other people get that happening?

Phil

[grisell]

No. I always get the shaggy white mould. When it dries, it gets firm and 'fastidious' (sorry, don't know the right English word for it. Firm, forge??) Not dusty.

[onewheeler]

I've decided to leave the bresaola, as it should be ready in a few days. The blue mould seems to be dying back, or at least not spreading. As said earlier, it seems to be on top of the white mould and it's just about possible to scrape one off leaving the other.

The chorizo are of more concern to me however. They've been drying for six days and have lost about 10% weight. They started developing a white mould, and it soon became supplemented by blue mould. I've just wiped them with cider vinegar to the point that most of the mould has been removed. The surface is now quite slimy and I'm worried that the humidity is a bit too high. It's hovering around 80 - 85% on the meter, temperature is 13 - 14 C. Thinking of moving them somewhere else. How clean should the surface be left after wiping? There are still traces of mould, it's hard to get it all off without leaving a smear. Any tips on wiping?

Martin/

[wheels]

Increasing the airflow may help.

Phil

[onewheeler]

I suspect Phil is right (as always!). I've just raided my daughters room and pinched her fan. There's not a lot of airflow in the cellar other than from the radon extract fan which gives roughly one air change per hour.

Martin/

[onewheeler]

[OT] The clock on the server is an hour out.

[wheels]

I'm sure that Dave will note your post about the time Martin and correct it. But, can I say, you're a brave man. Entering a daughter's bedroom is not something I do without SAS style planning!

Don't go overboard though with the fan - we don't want case hardening!

Phil

[onewheeler]

The daughter's room is fine. Entering my son's room requires planning, protective clothing and respiratory protection. My experience of working in the nastier parts of nuclear plants comes in handy.

The surface of the chorizos feels much better this morning, much less sticky than yesterday after I'd wiped them. Will keep an eye on the drying rate however.

Thanks for the advice!

Martin/