Mold: The DECOMPOSER
• After switching lunchboxes,
we kind of forgot the old one
for a while. And the half of a
bagel with cream cheese that
was inside. Oops!
• Opening up the old lunchbox,
we saw a lot of green fuzzy
stuff—mold – had grown on
the outside of the bagel.
•What makes mold
grow?
•What is mold,
anyway?
Mold is a living microorganism that
is part of the Fungi kingdom. Fungi
aren’t plants, and they aren’t
animals. Yeasts (used to make
bread rise) and mushrooms are
fungi, too. Fungi “eat” by releasing
enzymes that break down their
food into a form the fungi can
absorb.
How did the mold get on the bagel?
Mold reproduces by releasing tiny spores.
These spores are so small that they can
float in the air, from food source to food
source. Mold grows well in moist
conditions, which is why some foods, like
fruit, attract it more than others. Molds
come in many different colors, from black
to blue to green.
Mold
A Comprehensive look at Mold
Mold may look gross, it may be hard
to clean up, and it may even cause
allergies and breathing problems in
some people, but mold isn’t all bad.
There are quite a few medicines made
from mold, including penicillin, which
is used to treat illnesses like strep
throat.
Mold is even used to produce
some kinds of food, like soy
sauce and certain types of
cheese. Fungi of all sorts are
important in helping decompose
(break down) organic matter.