Can mold spread to unopened butter?
My daughter left a crockpot of food in the refrigerator for over a month. Mold was crazy bad in the crockpot. 3 packages of unopened butter were in the refrigerator also. Should they be thrown out?
Best Answer
Butter is mainly fat - no nitrogen. (It is about 0.8% protein by weight.) So it is not a very nutritive environment. But its principle protection is that it is “dry”. Although it is about 16% water, that water is emulsified and therefore protected from contamination. The original wax paper wrapping, and the surrounding container, as well as the temperature of the fridge, would make it very difficult for microbial contamination or growth to occur.
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Quick Answer about "Can mold spread to unopened butter?"
Certainly mold can spread to unopened butter (as butter is not packaged in an airtight enclosure).Can butter get mold?
Due to its high fat and low water content, butter has a longer shelf-life than most dairy products, but butter can get moldy. Once mold starts growing visibly, we suggest throwing it out. Mold roots and spores also grow throughout butter and are not always easy to spot or remove.What causes butter to go moldy?
Exposure to light and air are the two main reasons butter goes rancid or spoils, which means it's wise to be savvy about the container you're storing the butter in at room temperature.Can I use butter with mold on it?
You could theoretically salvage the butter, but it really boils down to mold type. Melting and filtrating the butter will get rid of the mold and create ghee. But filtration will not remove aflatoxins that some types of molds produce.What Happens If You Eat Mold?
More answers regarding can mold spread to unopened butter?
Answer 2
Mold spores are in the air around us. Having a high concentration of mold nearby in a crockpot could increase the concentration in the fridge but there are other factors that influence whether the butter has spoiled and the butter may be unaffected. If anything concerns you and your health is at risk, when in doubt, throw it out. Here are some factors to consider
- Has the manufacturer's suggested sell-by date passed?
- Are there discolorations or mold on the surface if the butter?
- Has the butter become soft, or hard and difficult to spread?
- Does the butter smell stale, cheesy or decomposed?
- Is the butter unsalted (salt acts as a preservative)?
If several of these apply in your situation, you may want to throw the butter out as it doesn’t make much sense to risk food-born illnesses.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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