正文
Moulds reproduce by tiny spores which are
invisible to the naked eyes
and spread through air, water or other means including food handling. After landing in a suitable environment such as food, spores can germinate and grow. When the mould colony is large enough, you may see them with naked eyes. However,
sometimes you may not be aware that moulds are present in your food,
particularly if their colour has low contrast against that of the surrounding product. For instance, grey patches are readily visible on white bread but difficult to be seen on dark chocolate cake.
Therefore, we may occasionally consume mould contaminated food which appears to be mould-free!
霉菌属于真菌类，在周围的环境中
无处不在
。霉菌在香港很常见，因为本地气候温暖而潮湿，适宜霉菌的生长。不过，霉菌其实在冷藏的温度下也可以生长。大部分食物都是这些微生物的温床，
当你一旦发现食物里长有霉菌，通常已是变质的征兆。
霉菌的繁殖方式是通过
肉眼看不见的微小孢子
，以空气、水或食物处理等其他方式散播。当遇到合适的地方，例如食物，孢子便萌发生长。当菌落够大时，我们肉眼也可以发现。不过，
有时我们未必会留意到食物已经发霉
，尤其是当霉菌的颜色与食物的颜色相似时。比如说，白面包上有灰斑当然一目了然，但如果灰斑长在黑巧克力蛋糕上说不定就逃过我们的眼睛了。所以，
我们可能有时吃了受霉菌污染的食物而不自知。
Are Moulds Always Dangerous?
Most moulds are harmless and some are even desirable; in general acute toxicity resulted from the consumption of mouldy food is unlikely. Nevertheless, certain moulds can be dangerous. Some moulds can cause infection especially in patients with weakened immunity, such as patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or suffering from some chronic diseases (e.g. cancer), and some others can produce poisonous mycotoxins (toxins from fungi). M
ycotoxins can cause acute and/or chronic health effects in humans,
for example aflatoxins can cause acute liver damage and are best known for their potential in causing liver cancer.
