If dried fish is moldy, can it be eaten?

Such a nuisance as mold on fish does not always mean that the product is hopelessly spoiled and now has only one option - in the trash. Some fungi settle on the surface without affecting the deeper layers and without infecting the carcass with toxins. But particularly harmful types of microorganisms, penetrating into tissues, cause irreversible changes. Such food is not suitable for food; it has an unpleasant smell and taste. In this case, it is necessary to distinguish fungal infections from rot and oxidation.

How to get delicious dry fish?

The drying process consists of gradually dehydrating salted fish carcasses in an open space or in well-ventilated rooms. Having completely gone through the salting process, the fish acquires a unique taste and aroma. Under the influence of heat and air aeration, the carcasses gradually dry out, their muscle tissue thickens and becomes saturated with fat. Based on the level of moisture removal, fish products are divided into:

Dried.
Dried.
Hanging.

As a result of drying, the fish acquires a natural soft golden hue and begins to become slightly translucent in the light. During ripening, profound changes in the state of fat and proteins inside carcasses occur, and oxidative processes occur. Finally, the fish ripens, that is, it acquires its indescribably pleasant, incomparable aroma. There are 2 types of drying:

Natural (2-3 days).
Artificial (7-10 days).

If the technology is fully followed, the result will be almost the same. However, true gourmets still prefer fish dried in the open air - without accelerated treatment with hot air and drying.

Gorloder: boiled recipe, canning

For preservation, you can use the following recipe.

Interesting: Freezing parsley for the winter in a bag

tomatoes - two and a half kilograms;
apples - half a kilo;
sweet pepper - half a kilo;
garlic – one hundred and twenty grams;
dill - fifty grams;
vinegar - two large spoons;
hot pepper – one hundred grams;
parsley - fifty grams;
sunflower oil - one glass;
black pepper and salt to taste.

Sterilize and heat the container before storing.
Wash vegetables under running water.
Remove seeds and core from peppers and apples.
Cut the tomatoes into cubes.
Grind the remaining ingredients in a blender or meat grinder.

Pour the resulting mass into a container, add vinegar, spices and vegetable oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook for at least 2 hours. Dill and parsley can also be ground in a blender or finely chopped, then added to the sauce before the end of cooking.

The hot seasoning is poured into jars and rolled up.

Jars can be stored in a pantry or basement.

Manifestations of helminthic infestation

Symptoms characteristic of infection with worms after eating infected fish.

A large accumulation of worms in the human body leads to intestinal obstruction and stagnation of bile. Constipation and abdominal pain develop.
Fish helminths cause disturbances in peristalsis, change the microflora, and frequent loose stools develop.
When the mucous membrane of the small intestine is damaged, flatulence and bloating develop.
As helminths move through the body, a person may feel pain in the muscles and joints.
During their life, worms release toxins that cause allergic reactions. From a simple rash to Quincke's edema. The number of eosinophils in a person's blood increases.
Many parasites feed on blood, sucking out all nutrients, including iron. Anemia develops, which is characterized by pale skin, increased fatigue, apathy, and drowsiness.
Sleep is disturbed, teeth grinding during sleep and night drooling are observed.
Eating a fish product with helminths can lead to inflammation of the respiratory tract. Cough, asthma, runny nose, shortness of breath may occur. Bronchitis and pneumonia develop.
Immunity decreases. People often suffer from colds and dysbacteriosis appears.
If helminthic infestation lasts for a long time, it can develop into cancer.

If at least one of these signs appears, you need to undergo an examination. Another characteristic sign of fish worms entering various human organs is loss of appetite and weight loss.

Rules for choosing high-quality salted fish

Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy quality salted and fresh fish. Manufacturers have learned many tricks - they mask both the color and smell of missing carcasses. In order to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation, you should be aware of all possible signs of spoilage of the “beer delicacy”. Defects in dried fish or fish snacks may include:

When using spoiled raw materials.
In case of violations of the technological regime of drying and drying.
Failure to comply with the conditions for transportation and storage of fish.

Storing dried, salted and smoked fish

Dried fish is a low-stability product. In a humid room it easily deteriorates, and if it dries out too much it becomes rough and tasteless. Therefore, it is stored in a suspended state, preferably in bags made of some loose fabric and always in a dry room. The dried fish itself should be dry. High humidity is typical for soaked or damp fish, which is often the result of improper storage and can lead to rapid spoilage of the product.

Dried fish should not have mold or musty odor. It happens that dried fish is affected by the pest shashel (the larva of the carpet beetle). If the shashel only affects the gills and the outer part of the fish, then after its removal the fish can be used. The quality of stored smoked fish is checked by examining it for taste and appearance. Good-quality smoked fish has a pleasant smell, tender, somewhat transparent meat, and a lightly salted taste. Using a stab knife or a sharp wooden stick, checking the smell of meat is carried out in the thickness of the smoked fish, especially at the anal fin. Removing damaged areas along with the meat adjacent to them, as well as opening bruises when cutting smoked fish, is mandatory. White dry mold on the surface of smoked fish does not indicate poor quality. Lightly salted, delicately tasting smoked fish are often covered with this harmless coating, which can be removed immediately before use with a piece of clean cloth moistened with oil or sprinkled with fine dry salt. But a wet, dirty gray, greenish or black coating is a sign of insufficient freshness of the fish. After removing it, you need to carefully check whether the fish is suitable for further storage and use as food. Salted fish can be stored at a temperature of 10-12°C.

When storing in a basement, it is recommended to place a barrel or other container with salted fish in brine on bricks or wooden grates and sprinkle the floor in these places with sawdust, periodically replacing them with fresh ones.

If stored improperly, salted fish may develop a sticky coating of milky-white or off-white color (i.e., saponification), and oily fish may develop rust and yellowing that penetrates into the thickness of the meat. The smell of brine is sour and unpleasant. If salted fish is not stored properly, it is affected by the hopper fly (a white worm - the larva of the cheese fly). The jumper must be immediately eliminated by holding and then washing the fish in a strong saline solution.

Foods that can be eaten despite the appearance of mold

Germany was tired of throwing away food with a short shelf life, so in 2012 the “food sharing” movement was born there, which has become popular in major cities around the world. The British went even further. Theresa May recently admitted that she would never throw away moldy jam.

She peels off the spoiled product and calmly spreads jam on her toast. With her revelation, Madam Prime Minister caused such fierce controversy that residents of the United Kingdom temporarily forgot about Brexit.

What do experts think about mold on food: what is edible and what is not?

What are ascomycetes?

Mold is mushrooms. What most often grows on produce is the green variety, ascomycetes. Mold loves warm, humid and dark places, so it thrives in food. But some species are not afraid of sub-zero temperatures, so green mushrooms grow quietly in the refrigerator.

Like any other fungus, mold reproduces by spores that are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Under a microscope, a scattering of small balls with tenacious branches, like burdock, is visible.

There are thousands of mold spores floating in the air, so all doctors strongly recommend ventilating your apartment daily.

Once mold infects a product, it spreads rapidly. If a small spot appears on a tangerine, then this is only the tip of the iceberg, the main thickets are inside. But if the fungus is clearly visible on the skin, it is impossible to notice it inside. In total, scientists have counted about three hundred thousand varieties of mold. Some are so dangerous that they can be fatal. For example, ergot.

A huge number of fungi living on grains, peanuts, fruits and berries produce mycotoxins. In recent years, scientists have been discovering new species every year. This mold infects up to 25% of the world's crops annually. The most dangerous thing about mycotoxins is that they cause the growth of cancer cells.

Once in the human body, mold causes fever, convulsions, hallucinations, gastrointestinal disorders, shortness of breath, allergic reactions and much more. The effect of fungus on the body cannot be predicted, as it depends on the general condition and individual characteristics.

Mold is often accompanied by bacteria, which can cause a variety of reactions.

Ergot is a very dangerous fungus that lives on the ears of cereals. Once inside the human body, it causes terrible consequences. In the Middle Ages, poisoning from this mold was called “Antonov’s fire.”

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Before removing various stains from clothing, you need to find out how safe the selected solvent is for the fabric itself. It is applied in a small amount to an inconspicuous area of the item from the inside out for 5-10 minutes. If the material retains its structure and color, you can move on to stains.

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There are special traps to combat moths. The sticky layer with which they are covered contains female pheromones that attract males. By sticking to the trap, they are eliminated from the reproduction process, which leads to a decrease in the moth population.

Fresh lemon is not only suitable for tea: clean dirt from the surface of an acrylic bath by rubbing with half a cut citrus, or quickly wash the microwave by placing a container of water and lemon slices in it for 8-10 minutes at maximum power. The softened dirt can simply be wiped off with a sponge.

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The dishwasher cleans more than just plates and cups. You can load it with plastic toys, glass lamp shades and even dirty vegetables, such as potatoes, but only without using detergents.

Threads made of gold and silver, which were used to embroider clothes in the old days, are called gimp. To obtain them, the metal wire was pulled for a long time with pliers to the required fineness. This is where the expression “to drag out the rigmarole” came from - “to do long, monotonous work” or “to delay the completion of a task.”

Young mother, wife and part-time freelancer. Being a lawyer by training, I am accustomed to collecting and providing the most complete and reliable information. Constantly improves in the professional field and strives for personal growth and development.

Helpful tips for extending shelf life

Little tricks will help extend the shelf life of smoked meats:

Use of vacuum packaging. The absence of air prevents the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, which allows you to preserve the freshness of the product for a long time.
Deep freezing at −30 ℃.
Self-smoking fish using special substances that extend shelf life.

By following all the rules and requirements, you can preserve the taste and freshness of smoked fish at home. Use available methods for this and be sure to check the expiration date to avoid poisoning.

What to do if you eat fish with mold

You should not eat taranka, roach and other dried and dried delicacies if you are alarmed by their appearance or characteristic smell. This indicates that storage rules were violated, and, consequently, many useful substances of the product were either lost or degenerated.

But if a person nevertheless ate fish with mold, to calm down, you can take a few tablets of a sorbent preparation - black or white activated carbon. By the way, to increase the absorbent effect of the tablets, it is better to crush them. A slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate will also help neutralize what you eat.

Unpleasant sensations appear if you eat a fatty fish carcass that has turned yellow from the belly: a person may feel sick and have diarrhea. But this is not mold: under the influence of air, fish oil oxidizes, the product becomes rancid and unsuitable for consumption.

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General recommendations

To ensure that fish retains its taste for as long as possible after smoking and does not spoil, provide it with proper storage conditions. When doing this, be sure to consider the method used to prepare the product.

Be sure to control the humidity level in the room where the product is stored. If the indicator is higher than recommended, the product will become covered with mucus or mold. In case of low humidity, the fish will lose its valuable taste, and the meat fibers will quickly dry out.

For ease of perception, information on the necessary storage conditions is summarized in the table:

Attic, cellar, storage room