Pink mold and how to get rid of it before you start making your yogurt or kefir
The term "pink mold" covers several types of microscopic organisms you might find growing in the damp, dark corners of your home, such as cupboards or drawers. The common name is "pink mold", but it might surprise you to know that it is actually bacteria. One of the most common is "Serratia marcescens", but "Aureobasidium pullulans" and "Fusarium" are also able to form a visible pink or orange film.
These three bacterial species grow mostly in bathrooms, laundry rooms, or kitchen cabinets and drawers, where they can feed on fat and other nutrients. They can also grow on food when the food containers are contaminated. Like most environmental bacteria, pink mold prefers a humid environment, food, temperature between 25 to 45 degrees Celsius and time to grow to visible size. The empty containers kept in a contaminated place will not form pink mold to a visible size, but under the right conditions, it can spread fast enough and can grow large enough to be seen by the naked eye and consequently contaminate the food stored there.
Did you notice that pink mold-forming bacteria and the good probiotic yogurt and kefir bacteria can grow under the same conditions and in the same medium when contaminated?
So how can you ensure that you don’t use contaminated containers and utensils when making yogurt and kefir at home. The answer is simple: simply boil the milk and cool it down, then (considering safety first) very carefully and slowly pour boiling water in and over containers and utensils right before use. Give them some time to cool down and add your yogurt or kefir mix, then incubate for the required time.
While no type of pink mold poses an immediate, serious threat to your health the way black mold does, pink mold can still harm you if it is spread everywhere throughout your house or if you have a compromised immune system.
Removing the mold in the house can be difficult and require a lot of bleach, sanitisers, or cleaning chemicals, but you simply cannot and never should try to use any of those when preparing food or with food processing containers and utensils. Especially when making your yoghurt and kefir, as they can easily kill the yogurt and kefir bacteria and poison you.
As you can see, the careful use of boiling water and more attention to the sanitation of the milk, containers, and utensils can do the job nicely and easily.
