White Mold On Sauerkraut
To avoid surface mold growth, keep the cabbage submerged at all times by covering it with a plate just small enough to ft inside the fermentation container or with two or three clean quart jars filled with water. White film on the surface is Kahm yeast harmless, not mold. Skim it off and keep the cabbage submerged.
Pink, black, green, or fuzzy mold means discard the entire batch. No exceptions. Slimy brine usually means contamination from dirty equipment or iodized salt interfering with lactobacillus.
Have you ever opened your sauerkraut jar to unexpected smells or strange colors and wondered, is this safe to eat? Or, what is going on? Learn three fundamental rules of fermentation and use my helpful set of troubleshooting tips to ensure your next batch is delish! Homemade sauerkraut can sometimes go wrong too soft, too slimy, off-color or just plain moldy or rotten. Here's a guide to common problems with homemade sauerkraut and how to address them the next time around.
If white or bluish splotches that sit like unwelcome lily pads on your brine show up, floating on your brine, your ferment has grown little mold colonies. They are also taking advantage of the air-contact space on the top of the brine. While gross, these are also normalish.
Skim off and discard. Rule of thumb when lacto fermenting, always toss if there's mold. Unfortunately you cannot scrape it off the surface because even though you don't see it, the roots from the mold have already contaminated the rest of the ferment.
Good sauerkraut smells sharp and tangy, has a firm bite, and looks pale gold to translucent white. When it goes bad, one or more of those qualities changes in obvious ways: the smell turns foul, the texture goes mushy, or visible mold appears. Consuming sauerkraut with the white stuff can pose some risks, especially if the growth is caused by a type of mold or yeast that produces mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins can cause a range of health problems, from mild allergic reactions to serious conditions, such as liver damage or neurological disorders. As a result, being able to recognize mold on your sauerkraut is a safe way to protect yourself and your family from food poisoning. Read on to find out why your sauerkraut has mold, how to prevent it, and the best ways to store your sauerkraut.
If you see mold growing around the top, the cabbage was not completely submerged (you can skim off green/gray mold, but if it is pink/black, smelly, or slimy, discard the kraut).
