contamination

[shroomy]

I have been reading a lot of stuff over at the shroomery lately about contamination. one poor fellow managed to grow cubensis shrooms on he,s very first go however he has just recently noticed contamination (blueish green mould) on three of the cakes with one predomitly infected on one side. the cakes are still producing shrooms but from what i can gather they are not fit for consumption, What if this person was to not panic and continue on with the fruiting cycle and than after drying the shrooms he was to soak the product in alchahol and than filter saving the extracted goodies, Do you think the Alchahol would destroy any left over contamination and therefor making the shroom infusion safe for drinking in hes country of lax laws.

[spiders]

The going argument is that the mycelia may draw on areas of contamination for its own nutrients and that these nutrients may be ladden with pathogens. I think is a load of bs, but most of the yanks are on about it all time.

I find that contams are more annoying because they slow or hamper fruiting.

If its a green mold with white/greyish sporing centres (green on the outside and white grey in the middle) then chances are it is a harmless Aspergillus or Penicilium.

[Anodyne]

Would any penicillum species be dangerous for someone with a penicillin allergy, or is it only some species? I know someone with such an allergy who claims to get allergic symptoms after eating penicillium-containing blue cheeses. Do the species in blue cheese actually produce penicillin, or is it a related compound, or are the symptoms all in their head...?

And sort of off-topic here, but does anyone (I'm lookin' at you, bluemeanie ) know what the nasty molds on peanuts and chillies are called - they produce somethings called aflotoxins, which are apparently quite nasty - forget what they're meant to do.

[coin]

aflatoxins created by aspergillus moulds

i also think it's a load of bs...more of a cautionary measure..i never ate nasty looking shrooms, of course, but i did eat a few off cakes where there were small isolated patches of contamination..no harm done, but hey, it's my health, and i'd never encourage anyone else to do that

[ 25. March 2003, 00:41: Message edited by: coin ]

[squiresk]

They use mycelium, for bio/mycoremediation.

They must be pretty effecient at transfering some things throughout their network and possible into their caps, eg the heavy metals left over from industrial land

I doubt they'd transport actual pathogens, however their by-products/toxin may be tranfered. I've heard/read somewhere they use the mycelium to destroy pathogens in slurry near weatercourses. I alos doubt they'd eat the resulting mushrooms.

Aspergillus is not necessarily harmless. e.g. A. niger

k.

Anyway, why risk it.

Alcohol is quite effective at disinfection, however any toxins, would maybe remain.

[ 25. March 2003, 20:50: Message edited by: squiresk ]