BODY WISDOM AND WHY BAD FOOD TASTES GOOD
Treatments mentioned in the industrial research journals are
hydrogen peroxide, strong alkali such as lime-water, metabisul-
fite (a common reducing agent) and high heat. I have tried heat
and vitamin C, which is also a reducing agent.
Just heating a food to the boiling point does not kill the
molds. Boiling for many minutes at a higher temperature or
baking does kill them (but not ergot, another mold) and also de-
stroys aflatoxin they produced and left in the food. For foods you
can't heat that high, for example nuts that are already roasted, or
vinegar, vitamin C comes to the rescue. I suppose it acts a lot
like the bisulfite; chemically destroying the mold toxin
molecules.
Eradicating Aflatoxin...............................................................
Simply sprinkling vitamin C over roasted nuts is not effec-
tive because the molds have penetrated the surface. Rinse the
nuts in water first (a lot of mold is removed in this simple way).
Cover the nuts with water, add about ¼ tsp. vitamin C powder
(for a pint of nuts) and mix. Let stand for 5 minutes. The water
penetrates the nuts, taking the vitamin C with it and detoxifies
them. Pour off the water and dry the nuts in the oven at low heat.
(Don't burn them or you will make benzopyrenes.)
Rice and pastas can be demolded partly by cooking and
partly by adding vitamin C before or after cooking. There is no
need to add so much it affects the flavor. Brown rice is espe-
cially moldy.
Vinegars can simply have vitamin C added and placed in the
refrigerator.
Honey can be warmed and treated the same way (¼ tsp. per
pint).
Bread cannot be salvaged. Switch to bakery breads or
homemade. Use it up in a few days, left in its paper bag. Or slice
and place in a plastic bag in the freezer.